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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Write an INSPIRATIONAL or DEVOTIONAL piece (04/26/07)
We forgive because we were first forgiven. This is what I have heard, and this is what I have believed my entire Christian life. Then, a recent event, that caught national attention, humbled me.

In one tragic day of carnage, the peace of a small, close-nit Amish community was shattered. A senseless crime was committed against the most innocent of innocent, against children. We all cried and mourned with the relatives and friends of those who were taken.

Our pain was nothing compared to theirs; I cannot even fathom it. But then the world witnessed something I am sure must have amazed them; it certainly amazed me. The Amish forgave the shooter. Although they grieved as much as anyone who had lost a loved one would, their immediate response was to forgive. They then went even further and reached out to the family of the shooter. This was not forgiveness for show. This was not a forgiveness they felt they “had” to give. This was a forgiveness that reflected their awareness of Christ’s forgiveness in their own lives. They forgave because they knew that they had been forgiven.

For all the differing views I have with the Amish, and there are many, I cannot deny the incredible witness they have given to the world. It was, at once, the most inspiring and also the most humbling example of Christ's love and forgiveness towards others that I have ever witnessed.

Could I have been as forgiving? Could you?


© 2007
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This article has been read 824 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Jan Ackerson
05/04/07
Short and to the point, with a little jab at the end. Good job!
paula pinto
05/04/07
It is amazing how forgivng they were and I think it is a lesson we should all follow. Sometimes forgiveness is difficult but vital if we want freedom in our own lives. It makes me wonder what is it that I can't forgive someone for when I think of what Christ has pardoned me with and how these Amish people were able to forgive.

Thank you
Jacquelyn Horne
05/10/07
Good example of total forgiveness. A few scriptures here would have enhanced this piece. But I is still right on target.