“Forgive one another, just as God has forgiven you." ~ Ephesians 4:32
Samuel had just stepped away from the podium, recounting
the tragic story that had taken the lives of his wife and two children nearly
20 years earlier. He’d shared the painful details of their final hour with the local
chapter of MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving®).
His wife Etta waited
to turn left from the highway’s center lane when an oversized GM Suburban
rear-ended her, pushing her Ford Escort into oncoming traffic. The vehicle then
struck several oncoming vehicles. In all, four vehicles were totaled almost beyond
recognition.
Etta and their son, Tyrone,
died instantly. Alex, their youngest son, was ejected from the car into a
nearby drainage ditch. Witnesses rushed to the unconscious 7-year-old and remained
with him until EMTs raced him to the hospital. He later died from multiple
injuries.
Uninjured, the
Suburban’s driver was charged with three counts of second-degree murder. At a
news conference, the police chief revealed that his blood alcohol level was 4
times the legal limit, the highest ever recorded in the precinct.
Part of Samuel died
that same day. His best friend, co-parent, bowling partner, and fellow traveler
was gone in an instant. The emptiness of losing his two boys still left him
angry and depressed.
Opportunities to share
the crime’s impact upon himself, his friends, and the community offered some
temporary relief from repressed emotions. For the offenders present in the
crowd as part of their sentences, it emphasized that driving drunk was a choice
that impacts many innocent people.
Just then, he recognized the man working his way forward as
others left the auditorium. The man who’d destroyed his life had been released
after serving 18 years of his 20-year prison sentence. He stopped directly in
front of Samuel and extended a trembling hand.
“Can you forgive me?”
he asked in a quavering voice.
God’s forgiveness has one prior condition. To be forgiven ourselves,
we must first forgive those who’ve injured us (Matthew 6:14).
Yet, he stood silent as bitterness gripped his heart. But
forgiveness takes deliberate action; free will can function regardless of the heart’s
temperature.
"Jesus, help
me!" Samuel prayed silently. “I’ll lift my hand if you supply the genuine emotion."
Mechanically, Samuel
offered his hand to be shaken. As he did, something incredible happened. The
current started in his brain, raced down his arm, and sprang into their coupled
hands. Tears flowed as a healing warmth flooded Samuel’s body.
"I forgive you,
brother!" Samuel wept. "With all my heart!"
They hugged for a long
moment, an embrace that bonded their souls forever. Never had Samuel felt God’s
love so intensely before.
Lord, forgive those who’ve hurt me. Free me
from the bitterness and anger, knowing that forgiveness is a gift You give to
me. Teach me to find understanding and compassion for their actions and heal
the pain that’s crippling them. Amen
