“When Shannon Ethridge was just sixteen years old, an
act of forgiveness and love changed her life forever. Driving to her high school one morning,
Shannon struck and ran over Marjorie Jarstfar, who was riding her bicycle along
a country road. Marjorie died, and Shannon was found completely at fault by the
authorities. Consumed by intense guilt, she contemplated suicide several times,
but she never took her life, because of the healing response of one man: Gary
Jarstfar.
“Gary, Marjorie’s husband, forgave the
sixteen-year-old and asked the attorney to drop all charges against her. This
saved her from an almost certain guilty verdict. Instead, he simply asked
Shannon to continue in the godly footsteps that his wife had taken. “You can’t
let this ruin your life,” Gary told her more than twenty years ago. “God wants
to strengthen you. In fact, I am passing Marjorie’s legacy on to you.”
“Gary’s act of forgiveness showed Shannon the amazing
restorative love of God. That act became the foundation of her work seeking to
help people overcome guilt-ridden, wounded lives. Sometimes our greatest misery can become the
foundation of our greatest ministry.”*
As I read this story,
I think of the parallels in the life of Saul of Tarsus\Paul the apostle. Saul the Pharisee committed terrible sins
against God and His church. The Almighty
would have been fully justified in bringing swift justice upon him but He
didn’t. Grace and forgiveness were offered
to the repentant rebel and the ministry of Paul the apostle was birthed. The persecutor became the preacher. The monster became the missionary. The world was changed and it all began with
forgiveness offered and accepted.
This gives me pause to
reflect. Is there someone I need to
forgive? Is there forgiveness offered
that I need to accept and build upon?
How might my world change if I had the courage to do both? What about you?
God loves you!
Mike
*Tom Hughes, Down to Earth: How Jesus’ Stories Can Change Your Everyday
Life, NavPress, 2019, p.25.
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