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After the heavy rainChallenge to forgiveAFTER THE HEAVY RAIN In Matthew 18 we read that Peter came to Jesus and asked: ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me?’ Our Saviour, the one who would go to the cross for us, goes on to teach the basis of forgiveness, that each of us is a sinner saved by grace. No matter how much someone sins against us it cannot compare with our sin against a holy God. Therefore the level of forgiveness we may give also cannot compare with that which we have received from our heavenly Father. This message is the basis of the transformation that took place in Reaksa’s life. His is a brutal history, a whole family violently tortured and murdered by the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia in the 70s. Reaksa himself was left for dead in an open grave, survived unimaginable hardships in escaping, but after arriving in Canada and being befriended by Christians, he came to know that he was eternally saved and not just from the immediate dangers of life. This is his second book, in which he delves more deeply into the whole subject of forgiveness, as he chronicles his return to his village in Cambodia and how he faced his family’s killers. From a comfortable, Western armchair it’s almost impossible to really understand the mental and spiritual journey that this man has passed through, but it remains a huge challenge to any feelings of bitterness and hardness of heart that we may be harbouring. Mary Stolarski, © Evangelicals Now - November 2007 |