Forgiveness
Somewhere in time, May 27th 2001, Martin and
Gracia Burnham went out to dinner to celebrate their 18th wedding
anniversary. They had been in the
Philippines for seventeen years working for New Tribe Missions. Martin was a pilot that took supplies out to
the remote areas of the jungle and he moved medical patients from the jungle
into the city to get the help they needed.
The day started out like any other, if only they had known.
The Abu Sayyaf is a militant group in the Philippines. They
decided on this same evening to kidnap a group of people from a local island
resort. In this group of people were Martin
and Gracia. This would begin a period of
captivity that would last for 376 days.
From November of 2001, all other hostages had either been
killed or set free, only Martin and Gracia remained. What about their kids? They had kissed three
children goodbye with the expectation of seeing them again in a few hours, only
to be held away for months on end. They
marched through the jungle day after day. Some days they would have food,
others they would try eating leaves off the trees to keep up their strength. Praying
to God for water and hope, they waited for rescue. Hope waned as the days drug one into the other
and they wondered if they would even survive.
They had been marching through the jungle for ten days. No
food, little water and less rest. The government forces were pursuing the Abu
Sayyaf. The Burnham’s hoped to live to
see their rescue, a chance to hold their children and chance to eat and sleep
without fear. The government forces were
close and a gun battle erupted, the Burnham’s were caught in the middle. Weak and exhausted, they tried to flee. Both were taken down by a bullet. Would their captivity end in death? Would they never see their family this side
of heaven? They had questions and no
answers.
When the fight ended, Martin had gone home to heaven and
Gracia was left alone to return to her family.
The day so long ago that had started out as a celebration, finally ended.
It ended over a year later with tragedy.
I was watching news videos online and I saw a video about
Gracia Burnham. I remembered hearing
about and praying for them when they were captured and when she was rescued
alone. I clicked on the video and I was
surprised to hear her say, she had prayed that God would help her forgive her
captors.
I don’t think that would be my first thought. Gracia asked to forgive, even after so many
days of captivity. So many days
suffering with her husband, only to be rescued alone, she prayed to be able to
forgive.
Matthew 18:21-22 “The Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how
often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do
no say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.””
Personally, I think God wants us to forgive so many times
because he knows even when we forgive with all our hearts, there will be times
when the hurt will assail us again and then we will need to remember to
forgive, again.
Gracia Burnham has a website, if you want to check out her
story for yourself. www.graciaburnham.org
In the interview I was watching, Gracia shared that four of
her captors have come to Christ. I’m
sure, that offering them forgiveness paved the way for that decision.
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