Forgiveness?
For a witch doctor who tried to sacrifice Charlie?
My immediate reaction was—absolutely not. He’d tried to kill the
little boy I love. But something inside of me had started to change. The
change hadn’t been nearly fast enough, but it was nevertheless happening.
I didn’t see a killer in front of me; I felt like I was looking at a criminal
hanging on a cross next to Jesus. I thought of the words Jesus spoke to
that criminal: “Today you will be with me in paradise.” There wasn’t a
quiz Jesus gave to the criminal to get in. He didn’t ask the guy about his
positions on a host of social issues. He didn’t ask him to change his
behaviors or say a prayer first. He just said, “You’re in.” Standing in a
dark room next to death row is a long way from paradise.
Kabi and I talked for a while about his family and what was important
to him. I talked about my family and what was most important to me. We
talked about what I was learning but still didn’t have figured out yet
about love and grace and forgiveness and Jesus. Then something
happened that will forever shape my understanding about the things Jesus
talked about. Kabi said he wanted to put his faith and life in the strong
and kind arms of Jesus.
When he did this, you could say he was “coming to Christ,” as people
in many faith communities would. But in a way, I was, too, because I was
moving away from just agreeing with Jesus to doing what He said when
He talked about loving my enemy. What Kabi and I are both learning
about love and grace and forgiveness is that none of us needs to fully
understand it to fully receive it.
I’ve met with Kabi quite a few times since he began his adventure with
Jesus inside the walls of Luzira. When I do see him, I don’t see a felon
anymore. I see a guy trying to follow Jesus just like I am. While our life
experiences and circumstances could not be more different, it turns out