Mr. Stanley's Message

”I will say it again, it is impossible for you to forgive.”

No, no…not me, I didn’t say that. The Preacher on my car radio made that absurd claim.

My attention peeked when I heard him repeat it again. Lord, who is this man? This guy’s a nutcase; why is my local Christian Radio Station, allowing him to continue? Are they not convicted of this distorted truth?

Not wanting to hear anymore of this false preaching, I smugly reached for the off knob, but before I was able to send him into a deafened oblivion, he captured my attention once again.

“Wait…don’t dismiss what I am going to tell you next, hear me out.” Intrigued, I decided to wait just a little longer and give him a chance to correct himself.

Listen, people, I’m asking you to honestly think about those people who’ve hurt you. I don’t mean just naming those who’ve hurt you and merely “saying” you’ve forgiven them. I mean, have you forgiven them to the point where you’re no longer turned inside out when you think about their offense?

Okay, he’s got my curiosity on high alert, now. With one eyebrow raised, I looked at the radio, waiting for whatever it was, he was going to say next, and thinking, well, no, I can’t really say “that”.

He continues, “That’s because it is impossible. Try as you may, we are completely unable to genuinely forgive others, in our own power. That is why there are so many of us, wandering around in the confusion of saying we forgive, but still holding on to those offenses, and that inner turmoil is holding us back in our Christian walks.”

Woe…okay, go on. At that point, I had begun to audibly converse with my car radio.

“If you want to receive that complete forgiveness that the Bible teaches us, you have to first admit...

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...ely turned around, looked up into the sky at the angle of which I felt it had gone and realized what had happened. I heard God’s Holy voice saturate my inner being with, “It is done.”

If you have goose bumps, you should have been there!

The varied emotions associated with the remembrance of the acts of indecency forced upon me, were instantly vaporized; and I was filled with a depth of love and compassion for my brothers, I had never before felt for anyone. Definitely, not a human experience of love I had ever felt in my own power.

As I began praising God, and for the first time in my life, was thanking God, that I was the victim and not the perpetrator and did not have to live with the tormenting guilt they were enslaved to.

I began praying for their salvation that day, because now, I was only filled with God’s mercy for them, as His children also.