FORGIVENESS
«For now I will break off his yoke from you, and burstyourbondsapart» (Nahum 1:13)
Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight had suffered from the same atrocities for more than ten years. They were enjoying the light-heartedness of their youth when they were kidnapped by a man who kept them captive in his house in Cleveland (Ohio, USA). Tied with ropes and chains, they were abused, raped and beaten repeatedly. As a consequence, they suffered several pregnancies and abortions, with one baby girl surviving this brutal hell. Then one spring day, the abductor forgot to lock Amanda’s bedroom door. Without thinking twice, she pulled herself together to reach the old entrance door, she slipped her arm through a hole screamed together for help. A neighbor helped her knock the door down and called 911. Minutes later, a police deployment arrived, and the captive women were free from their chains.
These young ladies needed a lot of help in order to rebuild their lives. Although they were very different from each other, a thirst for justice united them, and they had to individually face the forgiveness process. «I think that you have to forgive in order to move on with your life,» Gina said an interview. On the TV show Beyond Candid with Giuliana, Michelle emphasized she would forgive her kidnapper «in every sense,» comparing it with «turning dirt into gold.» However, Amanda resisted forgiving him as she revealed to ABC News.
Ten years of her life unjustly enchained! Was it worthy being kept tied to the perpetrator, this time, through rage and resentment? The story of these young ladies is both impressive and educational. In their autobiography Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland, they relate that only hope made it is possible for them to survive such horror. But mainly, this story teaches that forgiveness does not depend on the seriousness of the offense but rather on the power of choice. Did they not all experience similar outrages? Were they not all victims of the same abuser? It is true that forgiveness does not erase abuse, but it can transform it in something better! This painful story can be acknowledged as a story of freedom, not only from the house in Cleveland, but from hate and resentment.
Maybe you know somebody who survived any type of abuse or oppression. Even so, the chains of a bitter life can be kept as a memory of the person who experienced suffering. Show them that it is possible to live a free life if they decide to make space for forgiveness. Remember that it does not depend on the seriousness of the harm but on making the decision.
Forgiveness is the tool that God gives us to break the chains of rancor.
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Taken from: Daily Devotions for Adults 2020
“A Cheerful Heart Is Good Medicine”
From: Julian Melgoza-Laura Fidanza
Colaboradores: Alejandra Zavala
