The most extraordinary and heroic thing happened today.
As Dylann Roof, the Charleston shooter who took the lives of 9 people attending a church meeting on Wednesday was being charged, the families of the victims had the opportunity to speak to him.
They did what I believe most of America is unable to do at this moment. . .they forgave him. Here is a quote from a granddaughter of one of the victims:
"Hate won’t win,” she said. "My grandfather and the other victims died at the hands of hate. Everyone’s plea for your soul is proof that they lived in love and their legacies live in love."
All evidence indicates that this was a crime of racial hatred, yet the families forgave him.
Unlike sentencing hearings in which victim's families get to face the accused. . .which may be up to two years after a crime has occurred. . . this is two days after the murders. There hasn't even been time to have funerals for the victims. . .yet the families forgave him.
Authorities say that Roof almost didn't go through with this plan because all of the people at the Bible study were so nice to him. Roof shows no remorse; he certainly has not asked for forgiveness. Still, the families forgave him.
We are in an age that is often marked by divisiveness. Non-Christians and those who claim to be Christians often spew hate and promote unequal treatment and even violence in the name of their beliefs. Some promote a justice system that can be best be described as "shoot first before they shoot you" and "let 'em rot in hell." There are those who believe they hold on to power by holding on to a grudge or vindictiveness.
But, where is the real power? The real power belongs to those who forgive. Through their forgiveness, they move on and grow. . . and they enable the rest of us to do the same.
What happened to the victims and their families in Charleston is unspeakable and makes most of what we face in our daily lives. . .political posturing, relational spats, business war games. . trivial in comparison. The families embraced their beliefs and rose above the horror they and the nation faced on Wednesday. . .and inspired us with true, everlasting power.
Certainly we will remember the victims; let us always praise their families. Today, they have shown the world the power of forgiveness.
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