The Lord is seeking to teach my husband to have a spirit of forgiveness, and forgetfulness of the dark passages in his experience. The remembrance of the unpleasant past only saddens the present, and he lives over again the unpleasant portion of his life’s history. In so doing he is clinging to the darkness and is pressing the thorn deeper into his spirit. This is my husband’s infirmity, and it is displeasing to God. This brings darkness and not light. He may feel apparent relief for the time in expressing his feelings; but it only makes more acute the sense of how great his sufferings and trials have been, until the whole becomes magnified in his imagination, and the errors of his brethren, who have aided in bringing these trials upon him, look so grievous that their wrongs seem to him past endurance. {3T 97.1}

Herren forsøger at lære min mand at have en tilgivelsens og overbærenhedens ånd over de mørke pletter i hans erfaring. Tænker han på den ubehagelige fortid bliver nutiden bare sørgelig og han gennemlever atter den ubehagelige del af sin livshistorie. Derved klynger han sig til mørket og presser tornen dybere ned i sit humør. Dette er min mands svaghed og det mishager Gud. Dette bringer mørke og ikke lys. Han kan tilsyneladende føle lindring for en tid ved at give udtryk for sine følelser; men det gør blot følelserne voldsommere at se hvor store hans lidelser og prøvelser har været, indtil det hele bliver forstørret i hans indbildning og hans brødres fejl, som har været med til at give disse prøvelser, ser så forfærdelige ud, at deres fejl synes ikke at være til at bære.