Love Wins - August 21, 2020

 LOVE WINS - Friday, August 21st, 2020

Love Wins is a series of writings related to love.  Today there will be two stories (or one story with two endings)

*****

The first story is based on a real situation.

It had been the talk of the town for months.  Two men - mostly described as thugs - had invaded a home, tied up the two daughters (one was 15 and the other was 12), drove the lady to the bank where she (with a gun poked into her side) withdrew the maximum she could take from the ATM machine.  After getting the money, they went back to the house, where the men tied up the lady, gathered the quickly (and generally hard to identify), disposable items (jewelry, cash) into a trash bag, killed the mother and the two daughters, set the house on fire and drove away.  

The men were caught and a bitter trial occurred.  The husband/father sat in the front row of the trial, behind the prosecutor’s table.  He was a witness to the deaths and destruction.

The jury’s deliberation was fairly short and a ‘guilty’ decision was announced.  The judge accepted the jury’s decision and said that sentencing would be held in the next week. 

The husband was on almost all of the local television stations demanding the harshest penalties possible.  The husband bemoaned that that state did not have a death penalty, but lobbied for a sentence of life in prison with no possibility of parole or pardon.  And, the husband got his wish.  Life in prison with no chance of parole or pardon.  

The husband wanted the men to spend every day thinking of the act of violence they had done.

End

****

Version two of the same story.

The same story.  A heinous crime of murder.

As the trial neared the end with the sentencing, the husband was on the local television stations calling for leniency for the men.  He used Micah 6:8 as his foundation “What does God require of you oh men, but to love justice, show mercy and walk humbly with God.”  Yes, it was a terrible crime, yes, justice seemed to have occurred but now it was time for mercy.  

Additionally, he used Romans 12:19 “Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the LORD.”   In context, the verses are: “If it is possible on your part, live at peace with everyone. Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.” On the contrary, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

The man’s pleas were heard.  The two men got twenty years in prison.  In the second year in jail, one of the men confessed his involvement in the home invasion and murders.  He expressed regret and remorse for his part.  He did not condemn his partner and only said “That is between him and God.  I cannot judge him.”

That man was soon treated as a ‘trustee” - one who could be trusted in the prison.  

The husband of the murdered wife and family did visit the prison frequently as part of a ‘man-to-man’ mission group.  He visited both men - one embraced him for his forgiveness, and the other generally refused to see him.

As the years went by, the criminal who confessed was frequently released for day trips out of the prison and talked to high school and other social groups about crime.  Frequently the husband and the criminal were on the same program making a point for forgiveness and Godliness.  To make his point, he frequently came to such presentations in irons and prison garb.  His message was one of: don’t be stupid, you make your own decisions about good or evil, prison is not a good place to be.

Where he spoke, many young people were touched by such a change in the man’s life.  

Both the criminals thought every day about the act of violence they had done.  One worked to keep others (and especially young people) out of prison, out of evil - and got to see the sunshine, flowers, and the outside world.  The second criminal refused to confess and sat in his prison cell and also thought about his act of violence.

*****

The first husband never had a peaceful day for the rest of his life.  He spent his days thinking about the past, the terrible murders.  He carried a huge burden.  Even friends after a while stopped talking with him as the murders would always come up.

The second husband had days of remembrance but had peace in his life.  He lived life in the present - yes, he had a terrible past, but life had to go on.  He learned that life was too short to wallow in the mud. Forgiveness helped make him whole.

So, who would you be?  Would you make a plea for leniency? Or would you demand the stiffest sentence possible?  

Can people change their lives?  Can LOVE WIN?

Love you all!!!

Karen