"Why do people choose the substitute over God himself? Probably the most important reason is that it obviates accountability to God. We can meet idols on our own terms because they are our own creations. They are safe, predictable, and controllable; they are, in Jeremiah's colorful language, the 'scarecrows in a cornfield' (10:5). They are portable and completely under the user's control. They offer nothing like the threat of a God who thunders from Sinai and whose providence in this world so often appears to us to be incomprehensible and dangerous . . . [People] need face only themselves. That is the appeal of idolatry."
- David F. Wells
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Woman shows incredible mercy as her son's killer moves in next door
She's a believer. I think only the love of Jesus can bring this kind of forgiveness. An excerpt:
Mrs Johnson and Israel are now close friends, a situation that she puts down to her strong religious beliefs but says she also has a selfish motive.
She 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.'
Mary Johnson even wears a necklace with a two-sided locket - on one side are photos of herself and her son; the other has a picture of Israel.
Israel admits he still struggles with the extraordinary situation he finds himself in.
[H/T Althouse]
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Comments on ""Unforgiveness Is Like Cancer"":
2. Raindream
- 06/10/2011 12:01 pm CDT
God bless this woman. I wonder if the Minn-St. Paul press covered her story too.
3. Raindream
- 06/10/2011 12:02 pm CDT
Ha! I hope one of the correct answers to the Simple Human Check Question, "Is Blo real?" is yes, even though I just passed by answering no.
4. Milly
- 06/11/2011 4:48 pm CDT
It's so amazing to see someone forgive the one who killed the people that they love. I'm still blown away by a friend's husband who not only forgave her killer but sat next to him in the hospital.
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I agree we must forgive. It is difficult to do without God's help and through the powerful name of Jesus. I hope Sarah Palin will forgive her obnoxious neighbor who is spying on her so he can write a book. Maybe she could take him some cookies and tell him she forgives him!