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«Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay’, says the Lord. Therefore, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feedhim; if he is , give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head’ «(Romans 1 2: 1 9, 20).
Louis Zamperini was born in 1917 to a family of Italian immigrants in the city of Olean (New York, USA). From a young age, he dedicated himself to athletics and managed to participate in the Olympic Games of Berlin in 1936, where Hitler Himself shook his hand and congratulated him for his scores. During the Second World War, Louis enlisted in the North-American army and fought on the frontline of the Pacific Ocean.
A mid-flight mechanical problem caused the plane to crash into the ocean. All the crew members died, except Louis and two other soldiers, who survived in a life raft. With very little food and no water, they fished anything they could and drank rainwater. One of them died. In the middle of such a tragic situation, Louis prayed to God, saying, «If I survive, I will obey You and I will delight to do Your will for the rest of my life. The shipwrecked soldiers reached the Marshall Islands forty-seven days after the accident. It did not take long for the Japanese to capture them. They tortured them and took them to Japan, where they continued mistreating them until the end of the war in August 1945. But Louis forgot about his promise and ended up being an alcoholic as he dealt with post-traumatic stress disorder. He had nightmares every single night about strangling his Japanese captors. He hated the Japanese with all his heart.His Wife convinced him to attend a conference led by Billy Graham.
There,he heard a message that God used to transform his heart, and his desire for revenge faded away. It was then that he remembered the promise he had made to God during his shipwreck, six years earlier. For the first time, he could sleep peacefully. He enjoyed perfect physical and mental health until his death a ninety-seven years—a life he dedicated to preaching the virtues of forgiveness and not taking revenge for the evil others have done to us. He traveled to Japan In 1950 and looked for his torturers who were imprisoned for war crimes. He Hugged them and forgave them. In fact, some of them even converted and became Christians. His story was adapted into the film Unbroken in 2014, which was directed by Angelina Jolie.
Has anyone ever offended you? If you are thinking of retaliating, consider what God says, «Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.» He does not ask you to take vengeance; instead you must meet your enemy’s basic needs, according to today’s verse
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Taken from: Daily Devotions for Junior 2020
“A Cheerful Heart Is Good Medicine”
From: Julian Melgoza-Laura Fidanza
Colaboradores:Ricardo Vela & Emmanuel Tapia
