Reconciliation - God's Answer

by HJS

During the Korean conflict in the early 1950s, a North Korean teenage soldier, in a fit of rage and anger, took another Korean youth and executed him in front of his family. Later the same youth was captured by South Korean soldiers and the mother and father of the boy who had been killed were called upon to identify the young man.

Yes, this was the boy who had held them captive. Yes, it was the boy who had pulled the trigger. But surprisingly the parents pleaded for his life. "He was angry and he didn't know what he was doing. Let us have the boy and raise him in place of our son."

A surprised and somewhat befuddled military tribunal gave them their request, and the offending youth was sent home with the parents of the boy who lost his life. Today, almost unbelievably, that person is a Korean pastor. In that home, he found forgiveness and he found God.

Forgiving is important; but it is restoration that brings great dividends, whether it is one who has wronged you, your husband or wife, your son or daughter, or your parents.

Going beyond forgiveness is always costly in terms of exercising humility, in terms of relinquishing our hatred and our desire to hurt the one who has hurt us.

I think of restoration as opening the door to your husband or wife who has wronged you, as allowing the teenage son who disappointed you to eat at your table, forgiven and restored to a place in the family.

We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.   2 CORINTHIANS 5:20