To Forgive is Divine

" Jesus told this parable: 'A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.'  So, the father divided the property between them. After a few days, the son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country, where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation. When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need.
Coming to his senses, he thought, 'How many of my father's hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here I am, dying from hunger. I shall get up and got to my father and I shall say to him, 'I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would one of your hired workers.' So he got up and went back to his father.'
While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son and embraced him and kissed him. His father ordered his servants, 'Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then, let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.'  " -- [Luke 15: 1-3, 11-32.]


This parable is one of the most enduring stories in Scripture. It is also one of the hardest to comprehend. Who among us would not be tempted to argue on the side of the obedient son, who was bewildered and angry over receiving absolutely nothing for all his years of loyalty?

And yet, when it is we who errs egregiously, we are the first ones to long for Mercy.

This story reminds me of a woman I used to work with.  She had a sour disposition and would think nothing of telling others off, for the most minor offenses.

At least once a week, she would send out angry written diatribes to everyone in the office, MEMO: "To All" -- even if most of the co-workers on her list had nothing to do with her complaint.

She became somewhat of a joke. "Oh, here is one of her Telegrams of Complaint", the office wags would say. They would give dramatic readings of her letters, then laugh uproariously -- all behind her back, of course.

For a time, I would laugh along with the rest of the crew. Obviously, she was being hateful and ridiculous. Who could listen to anything she had to say? She had lost all credibility. Why even say hello to her?

But, God had other ideas. You see, as I entered the office each day, I was forced to walk past her desk, to reach my desk. It would be especially cruel for me to not even say hello.

So each morning, even though I really did not feel like it, I wished her a good morning. After weeks of this, I would sometimes add a comment like, 'I hope you didn't get caught in the rain on the way to work today." Then, I would smile at her.

 I think I was being nice, only because I did not want to her caught in her crossfire.  It seemed a better strategy for me to be polite, but keep moving.

One day, she stopped me, as I walked by on the way to my desk. She wasn't glowering as usual. In fact, she was smiling broadly at me. She said, "You always do your own work and never overload me with things you can do yourself. Thank you."

I thought, Is THAT what this was about?

She continued-- "You are the only one who is nice to me all the time."  Then, she looked at me straight up, and said, "You see, I grew up in a tough neighborhood.  I HAVE to put on this tough face, because if  I hadn't, I never would have survived.' "

Suddenly, I saw her as a vulnerable, real human being, with fears and feelings and needs. She was no longer the ogre that everyone else assumed that she was.

What she said next floored me. She told me that she was studying to be a pastoral minister in her church. She said, if I had any concerns or troubles, she would be happy to pray for me. . .

Wow! Just wow!

I realized that I was learning to forgive.  Everyone has a story. The story does not excuse the behavior, but it explains a lot. We all tend to get lost on our way to a better place.

Learning how to forgive and to show kindness paves the way for even more forgiveness and kindness. Mercy begets Mercy. Love multiplies.

To this day, I believe that this experience enabled me, years later, to take my mother back into my life, despite her years of cruelty to me. She became frail, thin, and diminished, after my father had died suddenly one morning. Not only was she no longer a threat to me, it would have been merciless of me, if I had "kicked her down the road" at the lowest point in her life.

She needed me. And I needed to show her the unconditional Love that she so desperately needed, then. She had been decimated by her loss. I needed to offer her Life again.

What if I had NOT taken her back? Truly, I think that she would not have lived as long as she did, after my father died.  And, as my mother lived out the rest of her days, I gained a mother I had never had.

My mother thanked me every day for my kindness. She could not believe how I took her back and nurtured her, unconditionally. To her, it was a miracle. Maybe it was. . .

Forgiveness is Life-- renewed. Forgiveness is Love-- reignited.

[Related Postings: "Casting the First Stone", March 18, 2013; "The Prodigal Son", March 10, 2013; "The Prodigal Daughter", September 15, 2013.]

(c) Spiritual Devotional 2016.