Forgiving the Thief

“Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” — from Luke 6

Soon Hudson found out something upsetting: it was his own servant who had planned and stolen everything he owned in China — about forty pounds’ worth of things, which was a great deal.

Hudson could have had the thief caught and punished. It would have been easy, and no one would have blamed him. But this servant was someone Hudson had prayed for. And Hudson remembered Jesus’ teaching — the very words they had once read together — about not paying back evil with evil.

So Hudson made a surprising choice. The man’s soul, he decided, mattered far more than a pile of stolen things. Instead of punishing him, Hudson wrote the thief a kind letter, begging him to be sorry and to trust in the Lord Jesus.

And here is a lovely ending: a friend back in England, who was glad to hear how Hudson had forgiven the thief, sent him a gift — a cheque for exactly forty pounds, the same amount he had lost. It was the first of many gifts from that friend.

Forgiving someone who hurt you is one of the hardest and bravest things you can do. But it is what Jesus did for us, and God takes care of those who forgive.

Dear God, when someone hurts me, help me to forgive the way Jesus forgives me. I trust you with the rest. Amen.