Forgiving My Neighbor
March 17th, 2010Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.’ -Luke 23.34
In January, I wrote an entry about spiritual gifts with Ruby Bridges as the example of spiritual gifts that we recognize in children. Recently her name has come up several times in conversations with various people, so I looked back at what I wrote. What specifically struck me was the prayer. Robert Coles wrote about her prayer in his children’s book, The Story of Ruby Bridges, as he was there to witness the events as they unfolded.
“Please God, try to forgive these people.
Because even if they say those bad things,
They don’t know what they’re doing.
So You could forgive them,
Just like You did those folks a long time ago
When they said terrible things about You.”
There are prayers of the church that have been spoken for centuries, there are extemporaneous prayers from the heart that we speak when we are alone with God, there are the Psalms, and there are meditative prayers. This prayer, from this child, at that time illustrates love of neighbor under horrific circumstances. How are we allowing our children to remind us of this kind of love?
RESOURCES:
Read and hear Ruby’s own words at pbs.org
Discover more about Ruby Bridges’ experience at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis website
Check out The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles or Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges at your local public library
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