GRACE TO FORGIVE

Awino had just left her house for a nearby shopping center. Odoyo the neighbour came in and stole all the food Awino had left to feed her family. This was during the hard times our country was experiencing. There was no food, things were very expensive and also there was food shortage. The two kilograms of flour you could buy it at 130ksh and not easily found. Awino who is a widow in the slums of Kibera Nairobi Kenya in a single room 10 by 10 feet, had just lost husband because of the big disease as they call it, three years ago. Leaving her with afamily of eight . She had just borrowed some money amounting below a dolar to buy a quarter kilo flour, cooking salad at 10 Ksh, sukuma wiki ( green vegetable) at 20ksh, and a 20ksh paraffin for the stove. "MY God..... oh my God!!...................... what shall I do? where will I get the other money to buy food for my family?. Why? Odoyo, why............ Awino had just used all the money borrowed from her neighbor and it was already at night and children were waiting for food to go to bed. Children could be heard crying for starvation. Odoyo what is this you have done? can`t you be ashamed of yourself? for how long will you be doing this? lamented some of his neighbors. Some shouted kill him.......... kill him.......... Odoyo does not want to to go work, this is the habit he has developed. Should we kill him? During the South Africa Truth and Reconciliation Commission, there was a man who confessed how he killed and burned the bodies of a black anti-apartheid activists. On the other hand, a woman whose son had been killed and burned was asked what action should be taken against this man. I just want to hug him so that he ( the killer) can experience the love parents have for their children" she said. Despite the fact that some situation may be hard to forgive, there is power in healing, peace and even joy in forgiveness. For example a wife may find it difficult to forgive an abusive husband but still, God grants her the strength to forgive and touch the heart of such abusive husbands. Let as pray God to give us grace to forgive. Forgiveness is not a day thing. It is along process for those who have been abused or are in an abusive relationships or those who have lost their loved ones in mysterious circumstances and suspect foul play. What do you do when you are in a search situation? Do you want to divorce your wife or husband for what he did to you? Would you pray God to give you an forgiving heart? God bless you. Pastor Mike