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LISTEN NOW! (Or WATCH FULL PROGRAM!) It is a chilling reminder of the evil in the world anytime we learn that someone was murdered. In today’s reality, evil has climbed to new levels with the ability to do it LIVE for all the world to see. The Godwin family is experiencing devastation and loss as Robert Godwin Sr. was murdered in cold blood, on the streets of Cleveland, as many watched his murderer flaunt the event live on social media. As some would assume the Godwin family to be consumed with emotions toward the killer, it isn’t exactly as one may think. CNN’s Anderson Cooper spoke to some of the family after this tragic event.
When some would expect anger and rage expressed from the Godwin family, it is quite the opposite. Cooper asks the family what they will remember most about their father, and they had these words to say: “He taught us about God, how to fear God, how to love God and how to forgive.” They continue to share their hearts towards their father’s killer. “Each one of us forgives the killer, the murderer…” Cooper interjects his surprising response. “You do?” They continued, “We want to wrap our arms around him…I can honestly say right now that I hold no animosity in my heart against this man.”
As some would be wondering how a family can share such love and compassion towards an individual considering such circumstances, the family begins to share how this response is possible for them. “I know that he’s a sick individual. I know that, ya know because of his sickness, whatever evil overtook him that caused him to do this to my dad, it’s not him, it wouldn’t be something he would typically do, and I promise you I could not do that if I did not know God. If I didn’t know Him as my God and my Savior. I could not forgive that man.”
As the family continues to share compassion not only for their father, but also the loss for this man’s family, that his children lost their father, and his mother lost her son, Cooper again interjects, surprised by their words. He says, “That’s incredible Tanya that you’re thinking about that even in your time of grief; that you’re thinking about them.” They responded by highlighting how they were raised by their parents. “It’s just what our parents did. It wasn’t that they just taught us, they didn’t talk it, they did it. They lived it. People would do things to us, and we would say, ‘Dad are you gonna really forgive them?’ and he would say, ‘Yes. We have to.’” What is so beautiful in this moment, is that the Godwin family not only represented their natural father well, they represented their Spiritual Father, Father God, well.
Regardless of what others do to us, or how we are treated in this life, the greatest gift we can give is forgiveness. When we refuse to forgive others and walk in un-forgiveness, waiting for someone else to do something before we will forgive, it is not them that suffers, it is ourselves. If we find ourselves saying, “that person owes me”, it goes from “owe” to “own”. Think of it this way, “you owe me, you owe me, you owe me…you OWN me, you OWN me, you OWN me.” Freedom comes when we forgive. When we understand the true depth of forgiveness that Jesus offered us, we have no problem demonstrating forgiveness to others.
Be encouraged and lifted up as you see the full story of the Godwin family, their demonstration of love, compassion, forgiveness, and so much more. Also shared in this segment: Facebook Live, Cleveland Ohio, CNN, Anderson Cooper, forgiveness, and prayer. John and Steve shared in this segment.
screen capture from CNN.com
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