Amazing Grace

Posted on Mar 16, 2022 in Devotional | 0

Back in early December, officer Richard Houston, of the Mesquite, TX police department, answered a domestic disturbance call where a man who had been confronted by his wife over his infidelity. As officer Houston tried to calm him down, the man pulled a gun, shot Houston twice in the chest, and then turned the gun on himself. The shooter survived, but officer Houston died from his wounds, leaving behind a wife and three children.

A lot of emotions get stirred up over an incident like that. But here’s the thing—Officer Houston was man of strong faith. And the evidence of that faith was on full display as his daughter, Shelby, spoke at his funeral. Here’s what she said:

“I remember having conversations with my dad about him losing friends and officers in the line of duty. I’ve heard all the stories you can think of, but I’ve always had such a hard time with how the suspect is dealt with. Not that I didn’t think there should be justice served, but my heart always ached for those who don’t know Jesus – their actions being a reflection of that.

I was always told that I would feel differently if it happened to me. But as it’s happened to my own father, I think I still feel the same. There has been anger, sadness, grief, and confusion. And part of me wishes I could despise the man who did this to my father. But I can’t get any part of my heart to hate him.

All I can find is myself hoping and praying for this man to truly know Jesus. I thought this might change if the man continued to live. But when I heard the news that he was in stable condition, part of me was relieved. My prayer is that someday down the road, I’d get to spend some time with the man who shot my father, not to scream at him, not to yell at him, not to scold him. Simply to tell him about Jesus.”

It’s kind of hard being shamed by a teenager, but that’s kind of how I felt listening to her. Because my first thought in that situation would NOT be, “Wow, this man really needs Jesus.” … But whether or not that’s my FIRST thought, it should be where I get to really quickly, because Christ has forgiven me so much. And it isn’t. When I get there, it’s grudgingly at best.

Several times Jesus commands us to forgive others. In Matthew 6 He says, “If you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” He told the parable of the servant who had his huge debt forgiven, then wouldn’t forgive the much smaller debt owed to him, and Jesus said that if we don’t forgive those who hurt us, God won’t forgive us.

I think we kind of file commands like that away as something Jesus was setting a goal for, but doesn’t really expect, because we think we can’t really do it. But He does; and we can. This young woman shows us it’s possible. A man killed her father, and she wants to be able to share Jesus with him. That kind of attitude only comes when you’re walking close to Christ—moment-by-moment, day-by-day. It’s not easy; it goes against our flawed human nature. But it is doable, with God’s help.

And in this season of Lent, as we look to the sacrifice that Jesus made—and the forgiveness that He offers, we want to have Jesus develop that kind of grace-filled, forgiving heart in us.

So in our personal prayer times today, let’s ask the Lord to work on us, that we would ALL have hearts of forgiveness like this young lady. And my prayer is also that at some point she gets her wish, and gets to share Christ with her father’s killer. Because God can do amazing things when we forgive.