Freedom and Forgivenes

freedom and forgivenessI recently was interviewed by a reporter regarding a new U.S. law that may affect small business owners’ websites and how they comply with accommodations for people with disabilities. There are a lot of existing laws that already make it very difficult to run a small business without the burden of having more. But the reporter was a bit surprised at my response. He thought that I was extremely positive despite not fully agreeing with some of the mandates in the law. I explained that I am just grateful to be a small business owner in America; if there are more laws to add to the mix, so be it.

Life is not always easy, and there are a lot of things that we can not change or may not agree with. But no matter what goes on in the world around us we have a choice to focus on the good or the bad.

Primetime news helps us focus on the sensational of what is going on in the world with riots around the country, mass killings in church meetings, pastors having affairs, government changing laws and more.  There is a reality going on in the world and it’s not all pretty. The thing we must keep in mind is God is in control and good all the time, and there are great things He is doing everywhere around us.

Forgiveness

In June there were some tragic events in churches. Two churches in the South were burned to the ground, and there was the mass shooting in Charleston. Both are very tragic and grieve me deeply. What came from both of these events were amazing acts of forgiveness. Publicly announced and speaking volumes to our nation, one by one the families of the victims in Charleston forgave the killer. In Georgia, the pastor of a church that was burned said, “I forgive them. I hope one day I can give them a hug.”

This is an amazing display of God’s love winning over evil. Months earlier with riots in Baltimore we saw the opposite; we saw anger and revenge take its toll. God is doing something good in light of the horrific events.

Freedom

I know personally what forgiveness can give you: freedom. An old Veggie Tale video had a clip in it where a wise vegetable said, “Do not hold onto your anger, or it will hold on to you.” Letting go of your anger breaks all bonds of bitterness and anger on your life. It can set you free. True forgiveness is a very powerful life changing event. It’s a theme that makes movies powerful and lasting impressions on the giver and receiver of forgiveness. In the movies like “The Railway Man” and “Unbroken,” it was the ending clincher that left you changed.

The amazing thing about forgiveness is that even if you aren’t involved and just see it between others, it can change your life.

Many people do things in or around our lives that can cause us to get frustrated, disappointed, bitter or even angry. The family and friends of the victims in Charleston will never forget what happened. The killer will suffer the consequences for his actions, but the display of forgiveness will affect many.

The example set by the family members of those murdered while at prayer within Emanuel African American Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, can be the inspiration for all to forgive wrongdoing, changing the atmosphere of hatred in this country among some residents towards those different than themselves.

It is easy to become discouraged by the events we see in the news, but God is still in control. And while our nation

is changing, America is still a great country where we enjoy freedoms unlike anywhere else in the world. And we are thankful for all of those who sacrificed to preserve the freedoms that we still enjoy today.

From the Good News office we see God doing great things in South Florida and around the world every day. People continue to inspire and make a difference in others’ lives. We are here to help share those stories.

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