The Unbelieving woman spoke, “The journalist I was trying to
call is writing a book about how important ranching families are in the
West. He wants to know both the upside
and the dark side of our family. The size on these families is easy to
tell. He also was on the dark side. I said I would talk if I could remain
anonymous. I was thrilled to have the
opportunity to destroy my father’s image.
To grind my father’s reputation into dust. What pleasure it would bring to know that I
would have power over one who abused his power over us.
Did I tell you my husband asked for a divorce?
I'm meeting with the journalists next week. Telling the truth will be healing, but it frightens
me, so somehow, there must be another way.
The pastor replied, “There is another way, but only one way
and that is forgiveness, of your Father.
She replied, “I refuse to forgive him for what he's done. I’m bound and gagged by the rage I feel. I want to be able to love again, to give and
receive love and not sabotage it. How
can I ever forgive him for what he did to his children?
The pastor applied. I do understand my father had a
relationship with another woman and 60 years later, I learned that I had a
brother. I will spare you the details
but I was able to reap the fruits of this new relationship by forgiving my
father. Forgiving him was the path to
loving my brother. He went on, you are
clearly depressed and I imagine that all your relationships have suffered, including
those in your profession and now your marriage ending. He went on further and said to her, “This
isn’t about your Father “said the pastor, “this is about you.”
Confiding the dark side of the journalist won’t alleviate
the hurt. It will extend it, for you and
countless others. It's important to
remember it will also dishonour the memory of your mother.
So let's drop the notion of humiliating your father and
concentrate on yourself.
The Pastor then went on.
“In nearly five decades of working with human souls, I’ve seen how we
can define ourselves by how we were wounded by others. In every way, unforgiveness continues to
make you the victim.
Surrender is the key that unlocks the hard heart and gives
love the liberty to enter. Where Love
enters the possibilities for the forgiveness of others go viral.
She replied I will not surrender to my father or to God or
you the Pastor, for that matter.
Blasé Pascal, a brilliant mathematician, inventor, a philosopher
once said, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every person. It
cannot be filled by any created or material thing. It can only be filled by God made known
through Jesus Christ.
At the age of 40, I was a priest who believed in the
intellect but knew nothing of the intimacy with God that comes with surrender.
I was certainly lost,
holding onto my pain, trying to fill the God-shaped vacuum. Then one day, standing in the backyard of the
rectory, I was moved to pray a simple prayer from the heart. I got down on my knees and prayed out loud to
God, “I surrendered everything to you. From that moment on, everything changed.
Forgiveness has exactly the power to do what is
intended. It has the power to liberate
ourselves. To liberate us from the
gridlock of our EGOS. My simple prayer
was, “Thank you God for sending your son to die for my sins. I surrender completely and want to receive
Christ as my Savior. I am a child and I
surrender my entire life to you. There
is always betrayal in our lives and then comes a crucifixion and after that,
finally redemption.
