The Significance of Forgiveness

Last updated on: October 31, 2025 at 12:04 pm by Richard E. Simmons III

The Significance of Forgiveness 2025-10-31T12:04:51-06:00 Richard E. Simmons III

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In The Wall Street Journal there was an article on forgiveness by William Galston. He refers to Charlie Kirk’s memorial service where Kirk’s widow Erika said this regarding the shooter; “I forgive him because it was what Christ did, and it is what Charlie would do. The answer we know from the Gospel is love and always love.” I am sure there were many who were stunned by this declaration from Kirk’s heartbroken widow.

Surprisingly, President Trump didn’t buy it. According to Galston, Trump said he disagreed and that “I hate my opponent and I don’t want the best for them. I can’t stand my opponent.”

Galston then shared this commentary:

“Here, on vivid display, were two opposed understandings: the Christian ethos of forgiveness and the pagan ethos of vengeance. In Colossians 3:13, Paul urges his readers: ‘Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive.’”

Eight years ago, just before Christmas, there was a powerful story on the editorial page of The Wall Street Journal titled “The Salvation of Napalm Girl.” It was written by Kim Phuc Phan Ti. Though you may not know her name, you most certainly know who she is. You have seen her picture hundreds of times. She was captured in a Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph in 1972, a photograph that many people believed was a turning point in the Vietnam war. In the photo, she was 9 years old, running down a dirt road with arms outstretched, naked and shrieking in pain and fear, with a napalm cloud billowing in the distance.

Here we are now, forty-five years later and Kim is still receiving treatment for the napalm burns that cover her body. However, she says what was worse was the crippling weight of anger, bitterness and resentment toward those who had caused all her suffering. She says “I had so much hatred and bitterness in my heart.”

She wanted to let go of her pain and to pursue life instead of holding fast to fantasies of death to those she hated, but she had no idea how to be healed. She didn’t know where or how to find peace.

On Christmas Eve 1982, Kim attended a special worship service at a small church in Vietnam. The pastor spoke of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, who was wrapped in human flesh and sent into the world. As the pastor spoke, she knew something powerful was taking place in her heart. That night she stood up at the end of the service, went forward and surrendered her life to Christ.

She described her experience in these words:

When I woke up that Christmas morning, I experienced my first-ever heartfelt celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. I know what it is like to experience terror, to feel despondent, to live in fear. I know how wearying and hopeless life can be sometimes. After years in the spiritual wilderness, I felt the kind of healing that can only come from God.

I had spent so much of my life running – first from the bombs and the war, then from communist Vietnam. I had always assumed that to flee was my only choice. Looking back, I understand that the path I had been racing along led me straight to God. Today I live at ease. Yes, my circumstances can still be challenging. But my heart is 100% healed.

My faith in Jesus Christ is what has enabled me to forgive those who had wronged me – no matter how severe those wrongs were. Faith also inspired me to pray for my enemies rather than curse them. It enabled me not only to tolerate those who had wronged me but to love them.

Clearly, there is power in forgiveness.

Richard E Simmons III is the founder and Executive Director of The Center for Executive Leadership and a best-selling author.

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