Forgiveness Is ...

Forgiveness Is ...The week of Bible camp was just about over. In another hour all the fifth and sixth graders would be in bed, and I would follow soon after. It was a good week. Except for a few homesick campers, this group of kids was well-behaved and interested in the Bible lessons. Camp was just about over, but the Lord had one more lesson to teach us. As we sat around the camp fire on the last night, the cool air drew us closer to the flames. After some singing and a stirring message, we had a testimony time, when any campers could say something about the week and how the Lord was working in their lives. Many kids made comments. It’s amazing how the Lord uses camp fires as places for encouragement. The last camper to speak got up and said softly, “I had a great time, I really did. But what I’d really like ...” And he began to cry. “What I’d really like is for someone to tell my father about Jesus. I don’t want him to go to hell.” He went on to say that his mother had died when he was little, and he was living with his grandparents because his dad beat him and wouldn’t take care of him. This fifth grader had our attention as he told us, through tears, that in spite of everything he missed his dad, loved him and wanted him to meet the Savior he had come to know at camp. He wanted to tell his dad that he forgave him and wanted to be his friend. We learned more about forgiveness from this little guy’s testimony than from any sermon. Forgiveness isn’t just saying, “I forgive you.” It’s looking past the hurt to see the big picture. This camper could forgive his father for the mistreatment, not just because he missed him, but because he loved him and wanted him to meet his Savior. His love for his father was greater than any wrong that had been done to him. His concern for his father’s eternal destiny was more important than any wounds or hurts. And this is the forgiveness God wants us to understand. We turned our backs on God and told Him, “We don’t want to have anything to do with You.” And what was God’s response? Did He condemn us to hell? No! Instead, He sent His Son to die on the cross for our sins. So that night by the camp fire, we learned about God’s forgiveness from a fifth grader who learned it from God and really wanted it for his dad as well. Do you need God’s forgiveness? Do you need to forgive someone? If you would like to know more about forgiveness, contact us.By Chuck Myers