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Once I read a quite memorable story that happened in the “wild mountains”
of Kurdistan. It was a time when it was custom to take revenge
through a bloody vendetta. Back in those days a man killed
another man while they were disputing and fighting.
Instantaneously the murderer ran away into the lonely mountains
to save his life from the avenger. The son of the killed man
would not rest until he took revenge for the murder of his
father.
While the avenger rushed after the killer weeks and even months
went by. The murderer had no rest and could not feel secure for
a second. Once he had to lie down underneath a tree to find some
sleep. Suddenly he woke up with a hand on his shoulder: It was
the avenger! “Are you the killer of my father?” The man was too
exhausted and despaired so he answered: “I can’t go on like
this. Why should I keep on running away? So I will admit and
confess what I did: Yes, I am the man who killed your father! I
am guilty and my guilt lies like a heavy burden on me. Go on,
take revenge, and kill me – because I deserve to die!”
All of a sudden the appearance of the avenger started to change.
He said: “Listen! I am a Christian. And as a Christian I know about the beauty of
forgiveness. So many weeks and months I have been running after
you only to urge you: Come home! Live in peace!
I forgive you!“ The murderer covered his face in his
hands, cried and said: “How useless was my escape and a waste of
time and energy! I always thought you want to destroy me for
what I did! Instead I should have come to you in the first place
to confess my horrible deed!”
Dear readers, sometimes I think that many people live a life of
permanent escape: We try to escape from the living God! But this
little story wants to teach us that this kind of running away is
senseless and not necessary. Rather we should turn to God right
away. He is willing to give us forgiveness, peace and a life of
hope. All our unrest and uneasiness comes from the fact that God
is trying to find us while we are running into the opposite
direction. The only thing that God wants us to know is his
invitation: Come home! Live in peace! I forgive you!
So let us not forget: God is chasing us!
Deutsche Evangeliumskirche
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