The courage to forgive

Love For Myanmar Ministries Update

Christ Centered, Servant Hearted, Myanmar Focused

“He that cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself; for every man has need to be forgiven.” Thomas Fuller

Leprosy is a disease that, for most of us, is only found in medical journals as a reference to a once-feared infectious skin disease causing severe deformities and permanent disabilities. It has destroyed countless lives, not by killing the infected person, but through the resulting discrimination practiced by the lepers’ home villages. Cruelly forced from their home villages, these lepers came together forging their own community in the vicinity of a hospital established by an American Baptist missionary family.

For over a decade, we have been involved primarily with the spiritual care but also the humanitarian care of the lepers in a Mon State hospital and their families through our Chaplain and education services. Despite the continuing hostilities from the junta’s coup, here are some bits of good news from our leprosy ministry:

• there have been over fifty conversions from Buddhism among the hospital patients
• our free tutoring classes for the lepers’ children now involves 64 students who are able to overcome their neglect from the public school system
• patients are regularly provided meals from us to supplement their hospital menu
• over 100 patients’ families are provided funds to purchase food supplies
• financial assistance is provided to the sick and elderly among the neighboring leprosy villages
• vocational training is conducted for the youth to position them for employment
• regular devotionals and Bible study sessions are conducted for the hospital staff while trauma healing counseling is undertaken with patients and their family members

One of the biggest challenges lepers face is forgiveness. Shaken with disbelief, they grow visibly dispirited with a defiance in their hearts towards their friends who forced them out of the village. The most difficult of choices for any of us to make is to prevail over our hurt, and have the courage to forgive.

I have recently experienced such an opportunity of choices.
It was that first flash of hatred that rendered my Christianity confused. I remember sitting quietly in the precious stillness of thought contemplating what had just happened. The betrayal penetrated all sides of my heart revealing another reality beyond Christianity, an abyss lacking conscience which had me lashing out at others from the very outer edge of my faith.

In steps too incremental to perceive, I tried to forgive someone who harmed me. Forgiveness is how we render ourselves real to each other; how we convey a message of hope and understanding between each other. There is a simple but profound magic with forgiveness that blesses the curiosity of the heart while emanating a love rich in compassion.

Sometimes, we are too quick to discard a relationship, lacking the courage to lose our footing in our hurt. It isn’t easy to distance ourselves from the pull of our own anguish. Only God can help us capture the magnificent and humbling view of forgiveness.

Revenge, retaliation or vindictiveness shrink the possibilities of salvaging relationships, and become a search for fairness with a dead end. There is no greater act of love than to spare others whatever vengeance they are rightfully due. Before the relationship fades away by anger, pride or sorrow, lean into God for His perspective. Let the parting line in your situations always be that you elevated God’s authority over your own. The act of forgiveness is an indispensable form of trusting God.

Gary Watkins, LFM Co-founder

• Prayer Request: (Myanmar coup day 1,517)
  Please pray that Myanmar’s Christians will seek forgiveness for their enemies who have wounded them not only physically but spiritually; while asking that those broken parts of their own lives be healed.