FORGIVENESS

When I was about 10 years old, I was taught a great lesson about forgiveness by my Grandmother Stallard – not by her words but by her actions.

My Grandmother Stallard lived on a 100-acre farm with no electricity or telephone, and her nearest neighbor lived a mile away. She was a real pioneer woman with a strong and independent spirit. She was no fading violet. She was a woman of deep faith, and I admired and loved her.

One of my adventures at the farm was to use the resident single-shot 22 rifle to plink cans and rocks. I was careful, but I was also young. One afternoon just as I plinked a can, a sheep appeared unexpectedly, and I inadvertently shot the sheep in the leg. A small amount of blood was visible before the sheep ran back and got lost in the big flock.

I was deeply sorry for my mistake and afraid of the consequences. I was afraid to tell my mother. I made my confession to my grandmother. She thought for a minute, gave me a tough lecture, and said she would contact me to let me know what I should do to make amends. It was clear I had done wrong and had to make it right.

Apparently the sheep survived. I never heard anything further from my grandmother, and she never spoke to my parents about this. In fact, my grandmother never ever spoke of the incident again. Forgiveness pure and simple. The phrase is to forgive and forget – easy to say and hard to practice. I have never forgotten Grandmother Stallard’s poignant example.

Many years later I heard a fable about a young nun who began to talk with God. She made no fuss, but her bishop heard of it and was skeptical. The bishop proposed a test – on Sunday he would tell God all of his sins and on Monday he would get the nun’s detailed report on his conversation. Monday arrived, and the bishop asked, “Well, you spoke with God: What are my sins?” The nun replied, “God says He forgot.”

Two stories worth remembering.

— Joe Matney

Courtesy of The Church of the Good Shepherd United Methodist