Two weeks ago a member of my church was attacked and repeatedly stabbed by a 16 yr old neighbor. His dad (let's say his name is Jack) is a member of our bishopric (local church leadership).
The day after the attack Jack shared some thoughts on forgiveness with us in sacrament meeting. He told us that upon arriving at the Emergency Room where doctors we're attending to his son in ICU, his first act was to say a prayer for the attacker.
Why? Because he could only imagine the atrocities that must have occurred in that young man's life that would have led him to become so violent and hateful. And Jack prayed that someone would love that boy and that the boy would be healed and know that God loved him still.
Jack's a retired soldier who has served two tours of duty overseas and has worked long and hard to become a proficient killer. As a father, he'd always assumed that if anyone ever hurt his children he'd hunt them down and hurt them right back. But instead, he prayed. He prayed and prayed.
The moral? God makes us better people than we could ever hope to be on our own.
