Bear with one another ; forgive each other as soon as a quarrel begins. The lord has forgiven you ;

Do you remember the evil man in the story published on《Joyful Youth》Issue 2 ( 2023.09.24 ) ? He was furious when he learned that nothing he did could destroy the love and bonds of a caring family. He ran home desperately. To his surprise, when his parents heard about what he had done, they embraced him and said, ‘We do not like the things you do. We do not want you to hurt others, but we love you and we forgive you.’ The evil man was amazed by his parents’ love for him. He felt regret for his evil deeds and made up his mind to do good.

Message

The story shows us the power of forgiveness. The parents of the evil man forgave him because of their love for him, and it was this unconditional love that gave the evil man the power to change and do good.

Sometimes we find it hard to forgive others even if they are our family. Think about what Jesus did when he was being crucified. He prayed to God, " Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."

Action

Next time, when your brothers and sisters hurt you or mistreat you, put your feelings into words and tell them. Then forgive them. You can make a difference. Jesus will help you.

Glossary

Furious (adjective) : extremely angry 非常憤怒

Desperately (adverb) : in great despair 絶望地

The story is taken from CEO Project 1.0 – Family (Level 1) Unit 9 The Evil Man Part 3