She Forgave Him

Today, I'm thinking about forgiveness.

It has been said that forgiveness is a gift that you give to yourself as much as to the person who hurt you. Do you believe that to be true? 

Consider the rotten potato exercise: Carry around a sack of potatoes to represent the grudges that you might be harboring. Take them everywhere. Make observations about how it feels to lug those spuds around. What will eventually happen to the potatoes? How does this parallel refusing to forgive?

It's difficult to talk about forgiveness without talking about grace, undeserved favor or merit. What do grace and forgiveness have to do with one another? How do you show grace to your family and friends? How about to strangers? And yourself?

Yesterday, in the celebration of life for Charlie Kirk, his widow Erika publicly forgave that young man who shot and killed her 31-year-old husband. He stole her soulmate. He robbed their children of a father and parents of a son. He snuffed out the life of a friend to so many people. 

And she forgave him. 

So I cried. I cried for her and her children, for his extended family and all of of his friends. And I cried because forgiveness is so important for healing. 

I found that out firsthand when I was hit by a drunk driver. 

And I encourage people I work with to do the same.

To let go. To give grace. To forgive.

To free ourselves from the poison of a grudge.

Of unresolved anger. Or worse, of hate.

Hate simply cannot hold space in our hearts,

even when the unthinkable happens.

Erika delivered a message of love that reminded me of MLK, Jr.

Forgiveness is an incredible act of self-love.

Please join me in praying for all victims of violence,

especially those not yet ready or able to forgive.

And let's lavish grace where it's needed the most, because,

in the words of Matthew West, Grace Wins every time.