Forgive Boromir; Forgive Snape

This last Sunday, Elder Smith and I had the opportunity to teach a primary class. We taught about forgiveness, and that's been on my mind a lot recently. We all know about repentance, it gets talked about a lot. We all know how important it is to say we're sorry and make restitution for what we've done, but the other side doesn't seem as commonly talked about. We know to apologize, and are quick to do it, but are we as quick to forgive? Let me give you a couple (somewhat nerdy) examples:

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship has set out to bring the Ring to Mordor to restore peace in Middle Earth. One of the members is Boromir, a temperamental human who's father is the steward of Gondor (standing in while the real king is MIA). He's hot headed, and was quick to suggest using the Ring for themselves. Somewhat grudgingly, and maybe with alterior motives, Boromir joins the Fellowship and vows to protect Frodo. 
Eventually, they come to a bit of a sticky spot: an Uruk Hai ambush! The Fellowship gets broken up, with Frodo and Sam taking their leave, Merry and Pippin getting abducted, Aragorn, Gimli, Gandalf and Legolas pursuing the kidnapped Hobbits, and Boromir having met his demise. Right before the battle, Boromir snaps. This isn't a surprise to anyone, as Galadriel had foretold it happening. Boromir offered to take the Ring for Frodo, at first sounding helpful, but Frodo knew what was up. Boromir then tries taking it by force. After he realized what happened, though, he was instantly repentant and tried to reconcile his mistake. Well, before he could personally apoligize to Frodo, the battle had started. However, Boromir showed his sincerity in defending Frodo and the rest of the Hobbits to the death... literally. Suffering several shots to the body from Lurtz's arrows, but still fighting throughout (setting up an awesome fight scene between Lurtz and Aragorn where Aragorn wins after decapitating Lurtz). There appeared to be no hard feelings towards Boromir, and he died a hero's death. (Note: This is from the movie, not the books).

Harry Potter: Severus Snape was bit of a jerk. He was always mean and unfair towards Harry and his friends for apparently no reason. We later discover that it was because Snape still carried a grudge against Harry's dad. There is a very tense relationship between Harry and Snape, and they're often forced to work together. 
Dumbledore is convinced, throughout the series, that Snape is a good guy, and fighting on the right side. Despite anything Harry says, Dumbledore maintains his confidence in him. Even when we as the readers are privy to certain information that shows the Snape is not the person Dumbledore thinks it is, there's still more to it. 
*SPOILER ALERT!!!*: Snape, even after killing Dumbledore, still is in fact a good guy. He seems to be right in the inner-circle of Voldemort, even up until the very end of the series... and his life. As he's dying, he gives Harry some of his memories that Harry is able to see in the Pensieve. He discovers that it was all part of Dumbledore's plan, and even killing him was necessary. Dumbledore told him to kill him. After Harry learns of this, he forgives Snape of the 6 years of insults and unfair treatment. In fact, after all is said and done, Harry names his second son Albus Severus, in honor of Dumbledore and Snape.
Boromir and Snape did some pretty bad things to people: people they were supposed to be helping and overseeing. Frodo never disliked Boromir, really, but Harry despised Snape. In both cases, trust was broken, either from the beginning, or after a certain act. It's hard to earn someone's trust, it's harder to earn it back. However, despite what they did, the people immediately effected by their less than admirable treatment forgave them. They realized that they had made a mistake, repented, and were forgiven. How willing are we to forgive? When someone wrongs us, we're angry. We get mad at them, and we don't want anything to do with them. And what about when they apologize? When they say they're sorry? It's so easy to think "they wronged me, I don't have to forgive them." But the Savior told us we need to forgive, as well as ask forgiveness. He said: And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses. (Mark 11:25, 26). He even forgave them who crucified Him, saying: Father forgive them; for they know not what they do. (Luke 23:34). It's important to forgive, not only because our Lord said to, but because it will bring peace to those who wronged us, and to us as well. If we can't forgive, we can't be forgiven. If Snape and Boromir can be forgiven, so can someone who wronged you.

The Farmer Forgiven

Once, there was a man who wanted to become successful, but he wanted to earn it. He was poor, and didn't have the means to start anything up. He had been raised on a farm, and knew farming, so he decided his best bet would be to start his own farm. He talked to a bank about getting a loan. They accepted, giving him a rather rigid repayment schedule, and expecting full repayment in the span of just 2 years.
The man started his farm, and lived off of the wealth he made. He would work hard, but would often take breaks to go hit the town with his friends. He was easily supporting himself, and making minimum payments on his loans. After all, it was still 2 years before the debt needed to be repaid. That was plenty of time. He didn't have to worry about it now. He just continued living the comfortable life that he had earned for himself.
However, all too quickly, those 2 years were up. The bank had given him the stipulation that if he hadn't paid back his debt entirely by the end of this time, they would take the farm from him. This would leave him jobless, homeless, and destitute. He didn't know what to do. He didn't have the money to pay the loan, and he couldn't lose his job. He begged and pleaded for an extension, but it was made very clear in the contract, no extensions. The man was given until the end of the month. He had no idea what he was going to do.
The end of the month came, and the loan officers came. The man had to either pay the rest of the debt, or give up his farm. When the man was about to sign over his farm to the bank, another man came in.
"I will pay his debt," the man said. The loan officer looked at him. "It doesn't matter where the money comes form, as long as the debt is paid, right?"
The loan officer nodded in agreement. The man continued, "Then I will pay the rest of the debt for him, and he can keep his farm, but I will be the official owner. Do you agree?" he asked the farm owner. He nodded in agreement."Then that is what we will do." The benefactor signed the necessary paperwork, and the debt was repaid.
After the loan officer left, the farm owner could only stare at his benefactor.
"Thank you so much," he said, fighting back tears. "I don't know how I could possibly repay you."
The benefactor smiled at him. "All I require is your hard work and do what I ask of you."
The farm owner readily agreed, tears now streaming down his face. From that point on, he worked hard, all day, never taking a break when there was work to be done. He lived modestly, and didn't squander his money on unnecessary things. He did everything his benefactor asked of him, and was rewarded for his service.