Happy New Year my friends! Those of you who are regulars here, know that I suggest forgiving your soon to be ex-spouse or your ex-spouse. You may not be there yet but when you do get there it will have a calming effect on you.
Some of you have told me that you are so filled with anger because of the things he has done to hurt you and your children and that you won’t be able to get past it.
So in an effort to show you the power of forgiveness, I want to share with you a story about a woman who was able to forgive the ultimate injury. She has forgiven the man who killed her son.
The woman’s name is Mary Johnson. Her 20 year old son, Laramiun Byrd was shot to death by a 16 year old boy named Oshea Israel. The killer went to jail and Mary went on with her life without her only child. Mary wanted justice. She called him an animal who deserved to be caged. The killer was sentenced to 25 years. A few years ago eMary asked to meet Oshea. She wanted to see if there was any way she could forgive him.
Oshea is quoted as saying, “I believe the first thing she said to me was, ‘Look, you don’t know me. I don’t know you. Let’s just start with right now.’ And I was befuddled myself.”
They met regularly after that and when Oshea was released, Mary introduced him to her landlord and agreed that he could move in next door.
When questioned about her actions, Mary said, “Unforgiveness is like cancer. It will eat you from the inside out. It’s not about that other person, me forgiving him does not diminish what he’s done. Yes, he murdered my son – but the forgiveness is for me. It’s for me.”
Oshea is quoted as saying, “I haven’t totally forgiven myself yet, I’m learning to forgive myself. And I’m still growing toward trying to forgive myself.”
Now Oshea is working during the day and going to college at night. He wants to pay Mary back for her kindness and forgiveness by talking about God and forgiveness at churches, prisons and to large audiences all over the state.
This is a story that proves that letting go of anger frees people and allows them to be happy again. Divorce is sad, scary, lonely and stressful but letting go of the anger will make all of the difference if you want a happy future. Trust me. I know.
