Forgivness..

The attacks on September 1, 2001 were the worst terrorist attack in America to this day. Everyone can remember where they were and what they were doing on that day. Osama bin Laden was responsible for the murder of thousands of men and women in the United States, for the deaths and misery of millions across the world, and for the death of many servicemen and women, who made the supreme sacrifice of their lives. But as a Christian, we asked to pray for him and, at some point, forgive him.  And that command comes to us from Jesus, a man who was beaten, tortured and killed.  That command comes from a man who knows a great deal about suffering.  It also comes from God.

Forgiving someone for something they did is always hard to do. However Jesus calls everyone to forgive anyone who has sinned against them. Jesus tells us in Scripture to "Forgive, and you will be forgiven" (Luke 6:37-38). If we do not forgive others then we are just causing ourselves to be filled with more hate than love. Jesus was able to forgive those who killed him, so we Christians are able to forgive others and in particular Osama Bin Laden. 

Christians are called to forgive Osama Bin Laden. But forgiveness does not mean to forget what happened. We can still remember what happened on September 11th 2011, but we should not build up hatred in ourselves over one person. We need to remember those who were killed in the attacks but not let the hatred control our lives which will lead to more hatred around the world. Forgiving our enemies including Osama Bin Laden will allow us to grow closer to God as he desires us to.