Forgiveness by Human Mercy and Reconciliation


Stories of Forgiveness that Illustrate Human Mercy and Reconciliation


Corrie ten Boom's Forgiveness


One of the most compelling stories of forgiveness is that of Corrie ten Boom, a Dutch Christian who, along with her sister Betsie, was imprisoned in the Ravensbrück concentration camp during World War II for hiding Jews in their home. After the war, Corrie became a speaker on the topic of forgiveness. 

In 1947, while speaking at a church in Munich, she encountered one of the guards from Ravensbrück. This man had become a Christian and sought her forgiveness for his actions during the war. Despite the overwhelming memories of her sister's death and her own suffering, Corrie chose to forgive him, recognizing that forgiveness is an act of will rather than a feeling.

"As I stood there, I knew that I had to do it – I knew that. The message that God forgives has a prior condition: that we forgive those who have injured us," she recalled. This act of forgiveness was a pivotal moment in her life and a testament to the power of Christian teachings on forgiveness.

Note: Readers can send their real stories of forgiveness to ujjwal.sarkar@gmail.com for posting on my blog.

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