The beginning of this month started a three month remembrance on the genocide that happened in Rwanda in 1994. The first week of the month is Memorial Week. People take off of work and school. It is a heavy week for most people. Many go through the emotional pain all over again. It is really tough to see and entire country in such pain. The country thinks it is very important so people never forget what happened so that it will never happen again. Meeting the people and seeing how they love so well it makes it hard to believe something like that could have ever happened. It just shows you the hold the enemy can have on a person and a collective community when God is not at the middle of their lives. You can see they have done so much to bring back unity to their country.
They have taking many steps to do that. One of the steps is the memorial I previously talked about. Another is people are no longer classified by their tribe but just as a citizen of Rwanda. There are so many steps you can take to create unity. And they have done a great job at trying to incorporate so many of them into their everyday lives. And church is very important here as well. And the churches are united not trying to compete for members. The Pastors are sincerely friends. I believe that also helps create an environment of unity.
The Friday of memorial week I got the opportunity to preach on a radio station that goes out over Rwanda. The Father put a message on my heart that that this country knows is a big part of the unity they are creating. And that message is forgiveness. The more the people forgive those they know were a part of the genocide the closer the country will be. That is no easy task, but they have come a long way in that department. The part of the message that really hit me was thinking about it from the perspective of Jesus on the cross in Luke 23:34 and he says “Forgive them for they know not what they do”. In that moment when He gave himself over to death and payment for our forgiveness everything changed. The vale was torn. That vale opened up the opportunity for us to be united with the Father. And what creates more unity in a group of people then being united under the Father.
I believe that every time we choose to forgive we tear the vale that is over a situation or over a relationship. For instance every time that a Rwandan chooses forgiveness over hatred they tear the vale that was placed over Rwanda when that horrible event occurred. Forgiveness brings peace. It allows for darkness to be lifted. It opened the door for the light of the Father to enter in. And as it says in Matthew 6:14-15 “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. “ Forgiveness of others is a requirement of receiving it from the Father. So you can see forgiveness is a very important part of our walks.
So take the opportunity to ask the Father to show you how to forgive those in your life that have harmed you. In your mind reading that you may think you don’t know what they did to me. My response we don’t know all that everyone did to Jesus but He did and chose forgiveness anyway. Many say they want to look more like Jesus and forgiveness is a big step. Let the vale be torn!
