The liberating power of forgiveness

2019 has started off with a tumultuous bang for me.  I won’t take the time to document the craziness of these initial days of the New Year, but it is sufficient for me to state that sometimes I wish the Lord would make an announcement to me like those airline pilots do.  He would calmly say, “Kevin, we are about to experience turbulence, so fasten your fasten seat belt, because it’s going to get bumpy.”  Of course, it doesn’t work that way.  But He is the Pilot of my life, and I trust Him.  Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.  I will now move on to the main content today.

A few days ago, a line from a Matthew West song came to my mind.  The song is a powerful one; it is titled simply Forgiveness.  The line that came to me is this: “The prisoner that it really frees is you.”  That is so true.  I have seen it in my own life.  We are tempted to hold on to the anger and bitterness, yet it doesn’t do any good to anyone.  When we choose to forgive the offender, we experience liberation.

There is more to this song.  Matthew West once described it this way: “The song “Forgiveness” chronicles a mother dealing with the death of her daughter at the hands of a drunk driver.  It was one of the first stories I read and it stuck with me the whole time and I was waiting for the right time to deliver this message through a song.  Now the song is seeing the light of day, and it is my honor to share it.  The song is about Renee, who lost her daughter Megan in a car accident at the hands of a drunk driver, a 24-year-old named Eric who was by all accounts a great young man, but made a tragic mistake.  Renee’s been on a journey of hatred, and bitterness, but she’s learned how to forgive the young man who took her beloved daughter’s life.”

Matthew West continues, “In a miraculous way, after Megan’s death in 2001, Renee began giving presentations, and in time, God put it on her heart to forgive this man and reach out to him in prison.  She learned that until she was set free of the anger and bitterness she held towards Eric, she was going to be the prisoner even though he was the one behind bars.

As a result, Eric found his own personal faith in Christ and they developed a unique friendship to the point where she feels like she gained a son…she even went to the courts to cut Eric’s sentence in half.  He made a terrible mistake taking the life of two young girls, and yet he’s been forgiven.  Renee told him that she serves a God who commands her to forgive and she needed to be set free as much for herself as for him…Renee’s story is life-defining as we all need to think about how forgiveness can set us free.”

At one point in the song, there are these words: “It’ll clear the bitterness away; it can even set a prisoner free.  There is no end to what its power can do.  So let it go and be amazed by what you see through eyes of grace; the prisoner that it really frees is you.”  (Story and lyrics found here - https://www.newreleasetoday.com/article.php?article_id=957)

Kevin