Forgiveness, the Ultimate Cure (Part 1)

In February 1960, Adolf Coors III, a billionaire and the owner of Golden Brewery, was kidnapped by some unknown people. His abductors demanded a large ransom from his family. Police recovered his dead body from a valley after seven months. At that time, the son of Adolf Coors III was only 15 years. When he lost his father, he lost his best friend. After some years, he took charge of his father's empire. His father's murderer, Joseph Corbett, was sentenced to life imprisonment.

The company was growing under the leadership of Adolf Coors IV. In 1975, Adolf Coors IV accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord. He found ultimate peace in Jesus, which the whole world hadn't been able to give him. But still one problem always haunted him, making him restless deep inside. He was brilliant in managing his company and its huge amount of assets, but in between all these things, he was mentally in pain whenever he went to sleep. Why? It was Joseph Corbett--the man who murdered his father.

His face, his memory, was hurting him deeply inside. One day the Spirit of God spoke to him; "Son, your problem is that you still have not forgiven your father's murderer." The very next day, with lots of courage, he traveled to Colorado, the place where his father's murderer was imprisoned. In the prison, he told the jail superintendent that he wanted to see Joseph Corbett. But Joseph Corbett told the superintendent, "I don't want to see him; I won't come." Adolf Coors IV was depressed by this answer, but he wrote a message in the Bible which he carried with him: "Dear Joseph Corbett, "Today I came here to see you, I feel bad that I could not.

As a disciple of Christ, my Lord Jesus commanded me to forgive you. So I forgive you, please forgive me for hating you all these years." Later, Adolf Coors IV made a public statement about this: "At that time, I didn't have a heart to love him, but Lord Jesus Christ gave me a heart to forgive him." How Do I Forgive When I Feel So Hurt? The thought for the day is: how can we develop the ability to forgive? It is not a simple thing, living with forgiveness. Some people may think, "It is easy for you to tell me to forgive, but only I know the pain I've gone through."

Dear friend, you are right. Only you know your pain, but whatever it is I want to tell one thing: the solution for your pain is forgiveness. It is not easy to develop a forgiving heart. The people who wronged you entered your life only with God's knowledge and approval. Understanding this truth can help you to build a heart of forgiveness. I will tell you some practical things which can help you to develop such a heart. Know that God is working through the people who harass you.

In the middle of pain it is difficult to see, understand and accept this. We can't believe it, no matter who tells us. But we must believe that God will use this pain and destruction for our good and it will be a blessing in the long journey of life. Whoever is hurting you - your wife or husband or anyone else - if you think that they are hurting you for no reason, you can never escape bitterness. Instead, if you consider that these people are assigned to fulfill some special intention in your life, this thought will create a forgiving heart in you.

In the seventh chapter of Acts we read about Stephen. He was a good person, a godly man, but he faced adversity in his life. Some people hurt him. They stoned him. While dying, he said this: "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." He asked the Lord to forgive them. When they killed Stephen, a man named Saul was present there. But witnessing this changed his heart. Later he accepted Jesus Christ as the Lord. Due to that, Saul, a person who considered Christ as his enemy became Paul, a well-known missionary to the whole world.

One question: When Joseph Corbett killed the father of Adolf Coors IV, what blessing did Adolf Coors IV receive? Answer: Through that destruction, he found Jesus Christ in his life. What was the use of Stephen suffering all the pain? You have to read the entire chapter. In his last moment on earth, he saw the heavens open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God to receive him. His reward in heaven was beyond words because he forgave his enemies. Apart from that, through this incident came a person Paul, whose life has led multiplied millions of people to Christ.

People like us will cry at temporary problems and hurdles. But this pain will help us to reach eternity in the long run. At the same time, when we accept our pain, God will help many people through our lives. This knowledge will help us to forgive others.