Out of His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. John 1:16 ASB
Unmerited Favor
The courtroom grew quiet. The jurors stood as the judge asked, “What is your verdict?”
“Guilty,” The foreman said.
The judge looked at Johnny and said, “I sentence you to life without parole.”
It didn’t take long for the jurors to decide. The weapon was found in Johnny’s possession, and the dismembered body had his prints all over it. When the verdict was read, Johnny showed no emotion.
Two ladies, who were in the courtroom, wept. One, the mother of the victim, the other, Johnny’s mother. Other family members sat with angry faces. When the judge asked, “Does any of the family of the murdered victim want to say anything to Johnny?” Three, stood.
“I hope you rot in hell for killing my brother,” the victim’s brother, said.
Another stepped up to the microphone and yelled, “You’re a murderer and a thief to take my grandson’s life.”
Johnny stood motionless. His mother, still weeping, hung her head. She had lost her son that day, too, and the victim’s mother knew it.
When the third person stood, it was the victim’s mother. With tears streaming down her face, she said, “I could say that you are the scum of the earth, a murderer and a thief, but out of the depths of my broken heart, I forgive you.”
A tear formed in Johnny’s eyes. He looked down as she continued, “You see, many years ago,” she said weeping. “I had an abortion. I was young when I became pregnant and I didn’t know how to take care of a baby at fourteen. I learned that abortion is murder. I lived many years with the guilt and sorrow in my heart until someone told me about Jesus. I learned that He came into the world to save us from our sins. I was a dreadful sinner.
The night I knelt at the altar in the small church on the hill, I asked Jesus to forgive me for murdering my baby. I felt the burden from my sin, lift. I knew then, He had forgiven me. I didn’t deserve it. It was His grace, His unmerited favor that saved me and now, I extend it to you.”
The courtroom grew silent, with many tissues being passed around.
None of us deserve God’s forgiveness. It is a gift of unmerited favor called grace.
Paula Hixenbaugh New Philadelphia, Ohio
Paulahixenbaugh.com
