Now That's Forgiveness

A woman my age was recently arrested, charged with killing her 17 month old child.
There was blunt force trauma to the head and a puncture wound in the abdomen of her little boy. No one knows why, or perhaps no information has been released.

No reason in the universe would justify such an action. But I still struggle to try and understand. Is she mentally ill? Is she psychotic, detached from reality? She would have to be to kill her own child, right? Is she a monster? Was it an accident? How could this have happened?

I don't know any of these answers. As a mother, I have to believe that she must've been mentally ill or psychotic, because I cannot make sense of such an act any other way. I cannot begin to phathom what she must be experiencing today; mentally, emotionally, spiritually. I cannot imagine her pain when she is confronted with the reality of what has occurred.

But I do know this; that the God I serve has already forgiven her. All she need do is accept the gift of grace; the unearned favor already provided for her through the death of Jesus Christ.

How amazing is that?
Why does she deserve forgiveness? She doesn't, and neither do I. That's the point of God's grace. The definition of grace according to Webster is; "a delay granted for payment of an obligation". We've all heard of a 'grace period', right? The time the bank allows for us to pay a debt. But God's grace is FOREVER! And it can't be earned, it is a gift, through the sacrifice of Jesus.

Forgiveness, is defined "to give up resentment against or the desire to punish". This is the best news of all. God is not mad! He won't even keep an account of our wrongdoings, or the bad things we have done. When Jesus died on the cross he paid the price for my sin, for your sin, and for this mother's sin. The debt has been paid. This grace and forgiveness covers the entire offense, forever!

This woman will still have to pay the natural and societal consequences for her actions, whatever they may be. But God will not hold her eternally accountable if she accepts His gift.

Now that's forgiveness!