Unforgiven
Clint Eastwood, in his Oscar-winning film, Unforgiven, tells the story of Will Munny, a formerly hard-drinking gunslinger, retired and reformed by his virtuous wife. His debauched past faded as he enjoyed life with his wife, Claudia, and their two small children, but was not erased from his mind. His unsuccessful farming venture worsened when Claudia died, and he became a tortured soul, grieving for his wife, clinging to her values and mourning the misdeeds of his former days. For him, the past was a living reality. Because he never knew the relief that grace brings, eventually, he returned to drink, murder and lawlessness. And there the story ends.
Remorse serves a purpose in our lives. It can lead us to reformation. Lessons learned can be good for us, even if they hurt a little. The burned hand teaches best. From the human angle, we want others to be sorry for the wrong they have done and suffer for it (after all, they deserve it) though it may not be what we want for ourselves. In our best moments, we realize that penance is necessary on the home front, too. There are even some who have made suffering a badge of honor, craving it to the satisfying of conscience. Somehow, if we hurt more, we hurt less. We all want to be able to do something to balance the scales because we all feel guilty.
While being raised with and having maintained a conservative approach, I’d like to strike a blow against that, albeit a glancing one. Unresolved grief and guilt do great damage in the life. They become more than obstacles on the way to wholeness- they become barriers to. They are wounds that never heal. Functionality is not restored because the offender cannot put the past behind. No one wants to live that way, indeed, no one can live that way. We can become like Christian in Pilgrim’s Progress whose former name was Graceless. What freedom he felt when the great weight on his back rolled away at the cross! What great bondage we feel when we trudge through life unforgiven.
Where there is great sin, there is even greater grace. That’s in the Bible. No one should go through life feeling that their misdeeds are beyond forgiveness. They may remain a painful memory, but one that is overshadowed by the love of God and sacrifice of Christ. One which can even bring praise and joy to the soul. One that fits the wearer to be of service to others drowning in guilt. God could have left us to a tortured, sinful life on earth and an eternity in torment apart from Him, but He didn’t. He gave us grace when we didn’t deserve it. Grace brings forgiveness and freedom. God doesn’t want us to live like we sometimes do.
If we cannot escape the past, we will repeat it. But we cannot free ourselves. Even others cannot free us. Only Jesus can do that. He wants to and will if we follow Him to freedom. The one thing that we can do for each other is model the grace of God and extend a helping hand. We can become conduits through which grace is shown. We should want for others what we want for ourselves that, one day, we can truthfully say, “I sinned, but I repented. Now, I am forgiven.” And there the story ends.
Sterl
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