Today, two desparate events took place, one in Ft. Hood Texas, one in Jarratt, Virgnia. The first was a memorial service led by President Barach Obama for the 13 victims of the violent act of an imbalanced radical; the second the execution of the mastermind of sniper attacks that paralyzed our nation's capital for three weeks in 2002. These two events though are linked by the anguish of survivors (the friends and families of victims) and the choices each survivor must make regarding what to do with the violent acts of hate and insanity that destroyed the lives of victims and suvivors alike.
D.C. Sniper, John Allan Mohammad, was defiant to the end, describing himself as an innocent black man. Even his attorney appeared to break with the prisoner by extending his condolances to the victims, their families and the family and friends of John Mohammad. Remarkably, despite the unrepentant attitude of the shooter, one of the victims' brother has forgiven Mohammad. Bob Meyers says that his Christian faith has helped him move to forgiveness and in turn to help him move on with life. The story is found at: http://www.myfoxphilly.com/dpp/news/local_news/victim%27s+brother+forgiv...
At a time when justice and revenge could be focused upon, Meyers' focus was forgiveness. Forgiveness is agonizingly difficult, it is a form of dying, but it is a dying that leads to resurrection. But the other option, living without forgiveness, living in bitterness, hurt leads to a dying that destroys us and makes us victim to the past. Grief is important. Living through loss--a part of being human. Some events change our lives, they change us permanently. We walk with limps and scars we didn't have before. But the destructive actions of others don't have to define us. When we live in unforgiveness our lives are anchored to the cruelty of others and to life in the past. When we forgive, we entrust ourselves to the "one who judges justly." As we do that we entrust those who wronged us to the God who has promised ultimate justice.
And so now in Ft. Hood and places all over the globe, there are new decisions to make about the trajectory of the future--towards forgiveness and life or unforgiveness and a slow form of dying.
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