The Forgiven
Do you consider yourself among “the forgiven”?
British Nurse Edith Cavell was executed in 1915. German authorities claimed she had assisted Allied soldiers in escaping from Belgium to the Netherlands, a neutral country.
This First World War witnessed the deaths of 9.7 million combatants during its duration. So what makes Nurse Cavell stand out? It was the spirit in which she died. True she had allowed the hospital under her control to be used by the underground. But the execution of a civilian nurse was not within the rules of war. Nevertheless, just before her death, she breathed these words, “Patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred or bitterness toward anyone.”
Could you have been that forgiving? Perhaps you are struggling just to forgive some neighbor, coworker, or family member who has barely slighted you. Although forgiveness is tough, we must not forget the words of Christ: “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins” (Mark 11:25 niv). You do want God to forgive you, don’t you?
Remember: God’s forgiveness is for “the forgiving.”
Reflections
British Nurse Edith Cavell was executed in 1915. German authorities claimed she had assisted Allied soldiers in escaping from Belgium to the Netherlands, a neutral country.
This First World War witnessed the deaths of 9.7 million combatants during its duration. So what makes Nurse Cavell stand out? It was the spirit in which she died. True she had allowed the hospital under her control to be used by the underground. But the execution of a civilian nurse was not within the rules of war. Nevertheless, just before her death, she breathed these words, “Patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred or bitterness toward anyone.”
Could you have been that forgiving? Perhaps you are struggling just to forgive some neighbor, coworker, or family member who has barely slighted you. Although forgiveness is tough, we must not forget the words of Christ: “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins” (Mark 11:25 niv). You do want God to forgive you, don’t you?
Remember: God’s forgiveness is for “the forgiving.”
Reflections