truth

It was a normal day when a thirty-two year old troubled and hurting Charles Roberts, stormed into an Amish schoolhouse and commits an unspeakable evil. Before turning a gun on himself to take his own life, Charles lined up ten innocent little girls and began to shoot them one by one. As news got out, shock and grief echoed throughout the community, the state of Pennsylvania and the nation abroad. Though this news was a terrible, heart-wrenching event to hear about, there was something about this Amish community that would ring out much louder than the horrible act of a killer. That was the incredible ability to forgive the killer and his family. As many began to hear about the heart and acts of kindness extended to the killer’s family, they just couldn’t fathom how they were able to do it.
Like many others, I’m sure there are people reading this now and have probably heard this story of forgiveness and thought to yourselves “how?” How can someone, without skipping a beat, turn and immediately forgive like that? We’ve all been in that place where we were wronged in some way and tried to find a way to forgive the one that wrongs us, even for the smallest thing.
I believe there’s a quote from Alexander Pope which says “To err is human, to forgive is divine.” There is so much truth to this profound statement and I really believe that true forgiveness is divine because real forgiveness goes beyond our own ability to do so.
To forgive someone means to fore-give or give pardon before the offense even occurs. Though this sounds crazy, it’s really amazing. To forgive is to have the ability to live beyond. It’s the ability to live beyond the offense, the hurt, and the pain. These Amish people were a community of people that refused to wait till something happened to them before they walked in forgiveness. We must understand that love is a lifestyle, not an event. It must be who we are, not what we do. That’s when the grace of God is there to do the impossible. No, this isn’t necessarily easy but it’s possible and this Amish community proved it as well as many others before and since them.
God is love and has given us the ability, through him, to walk in love in all situations or circumstances. He created us in His own image, meaning we are spirit beings in physical bodies and if we began to walk with that reality in mind and heart, we’ll start to live beyond offense. We’ll begin to view others through his eyes of love and recognize that hurt and offended people tend to hurt and offend others without even realizing it. People that hurt others also fail to know who they were created to be, so they live out of a dark place and become an offense to others.
Learning who you were created to be and becoming intentional about walking in love will liberate you and keep you from so much heartache. Though forgiveness can be incredibly difficult it can be so liberating. On the other hand, unforgiveness will create a dungeon of hell for your soul, leaving the offender in control if held on to.
Who is it that needs your forgiveness in your life? Is it a family member, a friend or enemy? It doesn’t matter who it is or what they’ve done to you, they’re actions don’t deserve your love but they do. Let your light of love shine and destroy the darkness which blinds them and then watches them glow.

Love Is Forgiveness