We recently took a family trip up to Pennsylvania for a few days. One place we made sure we took the boys was to Lancaster County which has a very large and thriving Amish community. The boys and I took a tour of a previously Amish owned home where our guide educated us on various aspects of modern day Amish life. It was extremely fascinating. I have been enchanted by many aspects of the Amish since I was a young girl when FBCOH sent a mission group to PA for a VBS in an inner city church and my whole family went. One night we ate dinner in Lancaster County at an Amish farm house and I have been intrigued by these people ever since.
During our tour of the home our guide was showing us the different clothes and interesting details such as the older women do not wear buttons but the younger girls do. He showed us a woman’s dress which was all black and he explained that this is the dress a woman wears for one year after someone in her family dies. He then spoke of the tragic school shooting where 5 Amish girls were killed. The world was amazed when the media reported how the families of the slain girls showed no hatred. They even visited the murderer’s home and family to let them know they had forgiven the man. The mothers of the girls even attended the murderer’s funeral. Then he said something most of the world might not know. He told about the mothers as they told the man’s wife they forgave her husband but they did worry about the living. They did not want her to have to put her young children in day care and go to work to support them so their community paid her mortgage for one year. Paid her mortgage.
We are all called to forgive others without condition. We pray it in the Lord’s Prayer but do we live it? “When we consider the extent to which God forgives all our transgressions, we realize that we do not have the right to withhold this grace from others. We have sinned against God infinitely more than any person can sin against us. If God forgives us of so much, how can we refuse to forgive others of so little?” (quote from www.gotquestions.org) Is there anyone you need to forgive unconditionally?