Forgiveness and Reconciliation

On Christmas Eve I finished "The Bishop of Rwanda." This was a very hard book to read. It told the story of the genocide of Rwanda, the history, the reasons, and the reality of it. I kept reading because I knew that the end of the book would tell of what God is doing in Rwanda today. It didn't make it easier to read of the atrocities that went on, of the neighbors killing neighbors, even children.

Knowing what went on during the genocide makes the forgiveness and reconciliation of this country amazing, and something that only God could have worked. One paragraph describes well the struggle and reality of it.

"For a woman to forgive the person who killed her son does not take away from who her son was. It does not make her son less important. Forgiving something does not make the forgiven act less horrible, but id does break the power that act holds over you. The truth is that those who don't forgive are dying from their unforgiveness. The bitterness eats them up. When you forgive, you are healthier and more alive."

to forgive and live side by side with those who violently murdered your family is only possible by the grace of God. To accept forgiveness for performing such atrocities and not be destroyed by guilt or cold-heartedness is only possible through the grace of God.

Their are still those in Rwanda that choose not to forgive or repent, and they are trying to continue the evil of the genocide. However, the nation is seeking forgiveness and reconciliation and has broken the power of the evil. They are looking to God, the sovereign God of creation not a man-made God, and they are doing truly miraculous things.

I would encourage you to find the time to read this book and be encouraged by God. His presence in the midst of evil and His grace and love that transcends evil.

What a truly wondrous God He is.