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| My Tears flow like a River |
However, today I am going to write about being humbled by the happenings of Wednesday, June 17th in Charleston, South Carolina. Nine African Americans were killed senselessly by a young man who was eaten up by hatred that he probably did not really understand. You see his statement as he committed murder shows that he did not have a good understanding, "You have raped our women, we want our country back....."(paraphrased). He was repeating something he had heard said by others.
We have not taken anyone's country, we are not predators roaming the country raising havoc and rapes, we are Americans who have worked just as hard as anyone else to achieve the American Dream.
There are people of all races and ethnicities who have done things (thefts, murders, a myriad of crimes) that no one is proud of. There are people of all races and ethnicities who struggle to make ends meet, There are people of all races and ethnicities that are billionaires and there are people of all races and ethnicities who are crying because of this tragedy, trying to make sense of it all.
Last Friday, June 19th during the arraignment of the killer, family members were allowed to make a statement. There were a couple who did not want to make a statement and that was understandable. I do not know if I would have been able to say anything; however, the majority stated "I forgive you." One by one they said "I forgive you and may God give you peace to your soul." What?????? What did they say???? Forgive, they were willing to forgive? I immediately thought of Jesus on the Cross when he said "Father forgive them for they know not what they do."
Yes they were uttering words of forgiveness, and realistically those words started the process of bringing solace to their spirits. Because if we cannot forgive, we will be eaten alive by anger. Now does this mean that everything was hunky dory? No, you see they will have to say "I forgive you" many times for it to permeate their spirit and give them peace; but at least they have started the process and that is most important.
Saying "I forgive you", will not eliminate anger, it will not erase the pain, it will not remove the shock and at times despair. No, that takes a lot of time. Saying "I forgive you", starts the process for the family members, the Church, the City and the Country to heal. Saying "I forgive you", begins to negate the evil done, it pulls people together and it makes all of us think about who it is we need to forgive.
As I said, I do not normally express these types of opinions in social media; but this is my blog and this is something I need to say. Hopefully, we as a country will begin to heal from all of the evils that plague us and learn that it is time for all of us to work together to make life better for all.
Until next week.....pilgrim. Who know where my thoughts will lead, the flood gates have been opened.
7 comments:
You write so beautifully, from your heart, and your words were ones I needed to read. Thank you, Glenda. I will try to forgive, too. So senseless. So unimaginably stupid. So horrific. You are right, however. We all need to let go the hate, the anger, the racist thoughts and forgive each other. And I will try.
XO
Thank you my friend, I know that you will because you have a heart of gold.
Thank you for your thoughts, Glenda. I am at once humbled by the grace that has been exhibited and sickened by the unimaginable horror of the act that preceded it. Forgiveness begins the healing for those who are left to deal with the aftermath so that they are not victimized twice, but it does not negate the fact that there are consequences this young man will have to face for his choices. I pray that we will all learn from this senseless loss and that we will honor those who lost their lives by realizing that our differences in perspective and background do not need to divide, but rather can enrich our lives if we will simply learn to love one another. God bless you.
A thoughtful and considered post on a difficult subject, Glenda. Thank you.
Christine your thoughts are so healing, thank you so much
Win, thanks so much.
that't the tricky thing about forgiveness...how to do it sincerely while also remembering the act was not ok and it cannot be condoned and it should never be forgotten.
I just finally forgave someone who did something unimaginable. Betrayal at its worst. In a way, he killed a part of me that I had to reclaim over several years....now that I have found peace, I noticed I am wanting to have a relationship with him again because I remember the good times...the heart strings. I have struggled for the past 2 days to make myself remember that he cannot be trusted and that he is a predator.
I have decided to put him out of my life. I now know how important the 2nd part of forgiveness is...do not forget.
your piece is articulate, touching and beautiful....thank you.
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