In recent months, President Russell M. Nelson — who turned 99 on Sept. 9 — has talked about forgiveness.

On World Forgiveness Day in July, the leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said forgiveness is “not just a one-time act but a continuous process that requires patience, compassion and understanding.”

On Palm Sunday, in April, President Nelson shared a video with his own story of seeking forgiveness and being forgiven. “There is nothing easy about forgiving those who have disappointed us, hurt us, cheated us or spread false rumors about us,” President Nelson said. “However, not forgiving others is poison for us.”

President Russell M. Nelson speaks during the Sunday morning session of the 192nd Annual General Conference on April 3, 2022.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

And in his April 2022 general conference message, President Nelson said: “If forgiveness presently seems impossible, plead for power through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ to help you.”

While each of President Nelson’s invitations to forgive promises spiritual blessings, research also suggests that forgiveness affects mental and physical health.

The the third article in a three-part Church News series on forgiveness is on this important topic.

However, it was a comment by a guest on a recent Church News podcast that has been on my mind in recent weeks.

Loren L. Toussaint, a professor of psychology at Luther College, joined the Church News podcast to talk about the health benefits and blessings of forgiveness.

Luther College

Loren L. Toussaint, a professor of psychology at Luther College and president of The Forgiveness Foundation, said forgiveness is good for the heart.

He recently surveyed more than 40,000 adults in the United States about their tendencies to be unforgiving and linked that act to cardiovascular health problems. In short, people who struggle with being unforgiving or grudge-holding also have a “25% to 50% increased risk of also having had some sort of cardiovascular health problem in the past year.” They were also more likely to have reported having hypertension or a heart attack, according to Toussaint. Anger also raises both blood pressure and heart rate.

The research, he said, is definitive: Being unforgiving has documented physical implications for the human heart.

These findings are most interesting to me when viewed through the lens of President Nelson’s teachings. Before dedicating his life to full-time Church service, President Nelson was a cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon who spent many hours in operating rooms — literally holding human hearts during some 7,000 operations.

Of course President Nelson — a self-proclaimed “man of faith” and “man of science” — would extend invitations that benefit both spiritual and physical health.

We have all witnessed this powerful formula from our Prophet in action.

In November 2020, amid the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and as scientists and researchers were laboring to develop and distribute a vaccine against the virus, President Nelson pledged his support for science and then invited the world to turn to something else — gratitude.  “No matter our situation, showing gratitude for our privileges is a fast-acting and long-lasting spiritual prescription,” he said.

I have also witnessed his focus on both science and faith in his one-on-one interactions.

In May 2019, President Nelson announced a $100,000 donation from the Church to help rebuild and renovate mosques in New Zealand damaged in a deadly attack. Then, while greeting Ahmed Jahangir, who was injured in the shooting, he asked for the name of his doctor so that he could pray, by name, not only for Jahangir but also for the medical professional overseeing his care.

President Russell M. Nelson, center, with his wife, Sister Wendy W. Nelson, and Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles participate in meeting marking the donation of President Nelson’s patient operative records to the University of Utah on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023, in the Church Administration Building.

Cody Bell, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Just a week prior to his 99th birthday, President Nelson donated his medical journals — the “tangible tracks” of his surgical career — to the University of Utah.

During the donation event, university President Taylor Randall said the volumes reveal “incredible inventiveness” and “the history of cardiothoracic surgery with many, many, many firsts.”

More important, said the university president to President Nelson, “I hope as we appropriately allow individuals to study your records, they will see how you were inspired. You are not only a great healer of people, but you have been a great healer of souls.”

In celebration of his 99th birthday, the Church News shared an excerpt from the introduction of President Nelson’s new book, “Heart of the Matter.”

“As I indulge in reflections about my centennial journey, I am grateful to have witnessed a century of unprecedented innovation, and I am optimistic about what the future holds for humanity,” he wrote.

Then he underscored one of the profound learnings that 100 years of living have taught him: “Divine laws and truths govern our lives, whether we realize it or not.”

As he enters his 100th year, his life, learning, experiences and, most importantly, his faith, uniquely position him to offer the rest of us counsel and direction — both as a scientist and as a Prophet.

The evidence for us should be definitive: Accepting his invitations will be good for our hearts. 

— Sarah Jane Weaver is executive editor of the Church News.