Think a minute…During the Korean War, a South Korean civilian was arrested by the North Koreans and condemned to be executed. But when the young North Korean military leader learned that the prisoner was not a soldier but the head of an orphanage caring for young children, he decided to let him live. However, he ordered that the prisoner’s son be executed in his place. So, the prisoner’s 19-year-old boy was shot and killed in front of his father.
After the war ended, the United Nations captured this young North Korean leader who had ordered such a terrible murder. He was put on trial for his war crimes and condemned to death. But before he was executed, the South Korean father whose innocent son had been brutally killed, asked to show mercy to the man who had ordered his son’s horrible murder. The father said that the North Korean military leader had been young when he ordered his son to be killed and had not fully understood what he was doing. “Give him to me,” said the father, “and I will try to teach him the true, right way to live.”
The United Nations granted this rare, amazing request of the father to take the murderer of his son into his own home and care for him. This father’s love completely changed the heart of that young, murderous North Korean military leader into a kind and compassionate man.
The greatest force for change is real, unconditional love that forgives and shows mercy even to our worst enemies. In fact, it’s the only kind of love that has the power to change our human heart. A wise person said: “The best way to defeat your enemy is to make him your friend.”However, it’s not natural for us humans to forgive like that—it’s supernatural. As the saying goes: “To err is human, but to forgive is divine.”The only way we humans can fully and freely forgive our enemies is if God controls and rules our hearts. This is why that South Korean father, who was a true Christian and follower of Jesus, was able to forgive and love the North Korean leader who had murdered his son.
The power of forgiveness is almost irresistible. Almost! Because we can still refuse to ask and receive forgiveness. But then we pay the highest price for our pride and rejecting God’s forgiveness. Without His forgiveness, we cannot be freed from our guilt and live in a right relationship with our Heavenly Father. Our Creator has already paid the penalty for our wrong heart and sinful living with His own sinless life. We each need to wholeheartedly ask Jesus to forgive us for all our sins and living our own way. Then, He can start changing us from the inside out. He will even empower and free us to forgive others as He has forgiven us. Just think a minute…