Dear Zachary...

I watched this documentary this morning.  It was unbelievable.  I wished that it had been a story, a movie, fiction.  It was heartwrenching and horrible.  But it was true.  It is called "Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About his Father.  It started out as a tribute to a friend who was murdered.  It ended up being a grieving process for many, many people affected by it.  I am not going to give it away; if you want to know what happened buy it, rent it, watch it.

It just so happened that it coincided with our small group talk on forgiveness.  Forgiveness is such an odd thing.  On one side of it, it is so hard to do.  We often times feel like withholding it because "they don't deserve it." But on the other side, I want your forgiveness.  If I have done something to hurt someone, I long for forgiveness that they can offer.

Jesus said "

²⁵ And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”   Mark 11:25

This is so much easier said than done.  But to emulate Christ, to be closer to Him, to honor Him, we must try.  We must make the mental decision to grant forgiveness to those who have hurt us.  But then we must work at actually forgiving.  Man that is hard!  Sometimes it might take days, weeks or even years.  Sometimes we might think it could never happen.  But Christ forgave his murderers.  God forgave us...me.  I should...and will...and perhaps have...granted forgiveness to those who have hurt me...us.