"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
Two years ago Ady Guzman- DeJesus lost her daughter in an accidental shooting by a classmate. Her daughter's friend thought the gun was unloaded. In a courtroom last week, DeJesus forgave her daughter's killer and gave him a hug, to which the judge responded,
"In 20 years, I've watched human tragedy unfold in this courtroom. Today, I never would have imagined a victim's mother embracing her child's killer."
DeJesus pleaded with the judge for a lighter sentence for the young man; he received one year community service along with having to travel to high schools within the state of Florida to talk about the dangers of handguns.
What made this story go viral? The simple act of forgiveness that is not often seen today.
The grieving mother chose to forgive rather than bring more darkness into the situation. She chose to be a light within that darkness.
Sometimes in certain situations that we find ourselves in we want to fight fire with fire. We let our emotions get the best of us and want to add to the darkness.
When you enter a darkened room in the house the first thing you reach for is the light switch. Without any light you can't find your way through. And so, those who live in darkness need light to direct their path.
In Mathew 5, Jesus asks us to be the salt of the earth, to not hide our light, but let it shine before men.
The best way to acknowledge forgiveness is by asking yourself, "How can God forgive our mistakes, if we can't forgive others mistakes?"
Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God. (Mathew 5:8)
A pure heart is one that forgives; one that chooses to be a light in a darkened world.
Forgiveness, just one of many lights that beacons through the darkness.
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