Forgiveness

My wife and I just saw the film, "Invictus". It is the story of Nelson Mandela. Nelson Mandela spent almost 30 years in prison in South Africa for protesting the apartheid government, ruled by the white minority. When he was finally released from prison he ran for and won the office of President of South Africa. In most cases this is how repressive, ruthless dictatorships begin...the opportunity to finally get "revenge".
In the case of Nelson Mandela, he surprised everyone by including blacks and whites in his administration, even to the point of hiring white bodyguards, men who, in the past would have been part of the forces that imprisoned he and other family members. Mr. Mandela had learned the secret of "grace" and had been given the gift of forgiveness. Forgiveness is, I believe, the most powerful force in the universe. It is part of that supernatural thing we call "grace". In the 12-Step program (and in everyone's life) there comes a time when we are forced to make a decision.... forgive, or... hold fast to our lust for revenge and vindictiveness. It's one of the toughest decisions you or I will ever make...and one of the most important... for it sets the path of how our future will be played-out. Will we live lives free of bitterness or will we break through that wall and become people of character and persons of love and respect? Nelson Mandela made the right choice and it changed, in some way, the hearts of 43 million people. We are each given the opportunity to follow his example. More importantly, God Himself gave us the supreme example in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ. God, in Christ, came into this world not to condemn it, but to save it. He did so by offering Himself to pay the penalty for our sins...our grudges, our addictions, our self-centeredness. It is through the gift of grace and forgivenss that any of us have the opportunity to change our lives (or, a better way to say it would be to say, to "Let go and let God" change our lives, our hearts. The greatest words every spoken were uttered from the God-man on the cross of Calvary two Millenia ago: "Father, forgive them". If God has forgiven us then who are we to say that we have the right not to forgive others? It's part of the beginning of a remarkable Spiritual journey...