Life Lines
amazing grace
Forgive and forget. It is easy advice, often hard to do – especially in the face
of evil.
That’s why what played out this summer in Charleston, South Carolina,
was an inspiring illustration of what it means to live your faith.
The story quickly echoed around the world. A young, hate-filled white
man welcomed into a Bible study session in an historic black church sat quietly
with the group for an hour, then pulled a gun and opened fire, killing nine
people.
The church, the city, the nation were stunned. Stunned not only by the
wanton violence but by the response of the victims’ families and community.
There was grief, there was anger, but there was no violence, no marches,
no demands for vengeance. Instead there was forgiveness.
It was reminiscent of Amish parents in Pennsylvania in 2006 whose first
instinct after a madman killed their children in a one-room schoolhouse was
forgiveness.
We witnessed looting and chaos in Ferguson, Missouri, New York City
and Baltimore earlier this year after provocative killings. But when national
reporters flooded into Charleston they encountered something quite different.
A black man was selling T-shirts on a downtown street corner: “Charleston
Strong: Standing as One Race.” A banner on a building opposite the mourning
church declared: “Behold how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell
together in unity.” (Psalm 133:1)
These people – like those gunned down while reading their Bibles –
already knew the teachings:
“Forgive, and ye shall be forgiven.” (Luke 6:37)
“Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for
they did unto thee evil.” (Genesis 50: 17)
They knew that when Peter asked Jesus how often he should forgive a
brother who sinned against him, he was told not just seven times but “seventy
times seven.”
They knew the ultimate lesson from Jesus on the cross: “Father, forgive
them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)
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