This is one of the two pools in the 9/11 Memorial in New York City. The water cascades 30 feet down each of the pools' walls and flows into the void in the middle. The whole is a powerful work of art that draws to itself all the mourning and loss and anger of that terrible day.
As I walked this morning my thoughts were of forgiveness. Faced with such deliberate terror, what do I do as a follower of Jesus, who never refuses to forgive me and who tells me to forgive seventy times seven.
First of all I want to be careful to distinguish the relatively small group of Islamic terrorists from the 1.6 billion Muslims in the world, some of whom were killed in the Trade Centers, along with people from 90 countries.
Then how do I bring myself to forgive the militant minority. I could try to comprehend how they think that murder is something God wants them to do. I could try to see our country through their eyes. I try to make a distinction between what is inexcusable and what is unforgiveable. What seems the best way for me to go, however, is simply to let the unearned love of Jesus flow from my heart into them. My own heart is not big enough, but the mercy of Jesus never runs out.
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