The power of Christian forgiveness

mellowyellow

mellowyellow

Well-known Member
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The Abdallah and Sukr families release butterflies in memory of the four children who died.(ABC News)

The parents of four children killed by a drunk driver in Sydney's west want the anniversary of their deaths to be a day of forgiveness and celebration.

Siblings Antony, 13, Angelina, 12, and Sienna Abdallah, 9, and their cousin Veronique Sakr, 11, were killed on February 1 last year when they were struck by an out-of-control ute that mounted a footpath where they were walking in Oatlands. They were walking to the shop to buy ice-cream at the time of the crash.

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The Abdallah and Sakr families have forgiven the driver, Samuel Davidson, as an important step in their grieving process……

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-31/parents-launch-i4give-day-annoversary-oatlands-crash/13106662
 

Forgiveness doesn’t mean that you turn the other cheek, or that you give the perpetrator a pass. Forgiving allows the person that is doing the forgiving the ability to move on. There is a process to forgiving and not just the words, “I forgive you.” When we forgive, it allows us to release our emotions such as anger, hate, etc. It also allows us to have peace within.

When we forgive, we don’t have to forget.
 

Pepper said:
It's only been a year. Forgive him next year.
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You have a lovely avatar Pepper. Peace now. But peace is more than the opposite of war, there is peace of mind, peace of heart. 911 is right, their forgiving has helped them to unload the crushing weight of their loss. Going another year means that resentment will still burn and it won't bring their loved ones back. They are both brave and inspirational.
 
mellowyellow said:
Although I admire their Christian values of turning the other cheek, I cannot understand this thinking, I would want the creep who killed them dead.
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Do you remember the horrific Anita Cobby murder? It was an appalling act of brutality and it affected me greatly at the time. I won't go into the details on this forum.

Anita's father found it deep within him to forgive her murderers and then went on to serve for years on a prison parole board. I could not understand how he wasn't howling for their blood but he drew on his strong faith and found strength.

Years later I came to understand just how damaged the men who raped and murdered her were and I had some inkling of how compassionate Mr Cobby must have been. It wasn't that he didn't love his daughter. He was a very hurt man but he forgave and moved on.
 
mellowyellow said:
Although I admire their Christian values of turning the other cheek, I cannot understand this thinking, I would want the creep who killed them dead.
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I feel the same way, I was brought up a Christian and by their standards probably not a very good one because I would only have peace when the person was brought to justice. It wouldn't bring them back but I would have closure. I could stand by their graves and say I did all I could to make this person pay for taking your lives.
 
Warrigal said:
Do you remember the horrific Anita Cobby murder? It was an appalling act of brutality and it affected me greatly at the time. I won't go into the details on this forum.

Anita's father found it deep within him to forgive her murderers and then went on to serve for years on a prison parole board. I could not understand how he wasn't howling for their blood but he drew on his strong faith and found strength.

Years later I came to understand just how damaged the men who raped and murdered her were and I had some inkling of how compassionate Mr Cobby must have been. It wasn't that he didn't love his daughter. He was a very hurt man but he forgave and moved on.
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Yes I remember Anita Cobby murder Warrigal, what those animals did to that poor girl was so horrific, it made me sick, yet her wonderful father, a devout Christian, said he forgave them. But I think it goes against our innate cravings for revenge.
(Not a very mellow attitude) but it is what it is.
 
Ruth n Jersey said:
I feel the same way, I was brought up a Christian and by their standards probably not a very good one because I would only have peace when the person was brought to justice. It wouldn't bring them back but I would have closure. I could stand by their graves and say I did all I could to make this person pay for taking your lives.
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I'm sure you are a very kind Christian lady Ruth, nothing wrong with wanting justice for evil deeds.
 
My kind of forgiveness: (and nothing much happened to him - 5 yrs probation) Click on "Watch on You Tube."
Note how the bullet really messed up the pervert's hair......
 

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