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CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – The part of my Christian faith that I’m the worst at is forgiveness. I have a long memory, and I remember those who treated me poorly.
And Jesus tells us to “forgive others as you have been forgiven.” And just how are we forgiven? Scripture says when we ask God to forgive us that your sins are removed and are remembered no more. I fall far short of that goal.
But I heard something earlier this month that makes me want to try again. Denise Uwimana wrote a book about her faith, living as a Tutsi Christian in Rwanda. The majority Hutu, muslims, had slaughtered hundreds of thousands of Tutsi Christians during a genocidal civil war. Her village was raided. Her husband and her oldest son were killed by machete-wielding attackers. She survived by fleeing into the woods.
In her book she talks about her Christian obligation to forgive the people who slaughtered her family. She noted that Jesus doesn’t call on us to forgive as a suggestion; it is a command. She says not forgiving dishonors the Christian faith that her husband and her son died for.
And her forgiveness is especially hard. When she goes to market she sees Hutu families – the families of the people who killed her loved ones. She knows what they did, and they know of her loss.
Compared to her’s, my grudges seem petty. I’m angry with people who said not-nice things about me. I’m angry at someone who cheated me financially. There are still things I’m angry with about my divorce, 15 years ago. Perhaps I’d be better off if I let that go.
Compared to Denise Uwimana, my burden of forgiveness is easy. I have to keep reminding myself that when I forgive, I’m following Christ’s example. I should do better.
Chris Conley
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