Fruit of the Free

My lips will call out for joy when I sing praises to You. You have set my soul free. (Psalm 71:23)

There are many things that cause us to feel joy, including loving family relationships, a devoted spouse, children, the spendor of nature. But I have not yet found anything more joyous than the love of God through His risen Son. With each passing year, I find an indescribable thankfulness for my salvation, and a bone-deep commitment to and contentment with the love of Christ.

In August of last year, I recall reading through misty eyes the story of Ameneh Bahrami, an Iranian woman who had suffered severe burns, blindness and disfigurement as a result of a 2004 attack in which acid was thrown onto her face. The man responsible for the attack, Majid Movahedi, had reacted in anger when Bahrami had refused his proposal of marriage. Movahedi was found guilty of the offense and under Iran's "eye for an eye" justice system, he faced a terrible sentence: a doctor was to put a few drops of acid into his eye. At first, Bahrami supported the sentence, but at the last moment she pleaded for her attacker to be spared, saying "I forgave him, I forgave him!" When later asked about the basis for her change of heart, she stated, "It is best to pardon when you are in a position of power."

It is imperfect at best to compare the gift of our Lord Jesus on the cross with an act of mercy by sinful people, but I can't help but to think of it: Imagine if Jesus, the Son of the Most Powerful, had opted to exact an "eye for an eye" justice for all the sins we have committed (and will commit). Imagine if He had replaced the crucifixion with a campaign of retribution. Instead, he willingly took the "acid in the eye" so we would not have to. While we were on death row, while we were yet sinners, He died for us.

While I have no way of knowing, I like to think that Majid Movahedi is now a faithful follower of Christ, having been spared a horrific punishment for his terrible crime based purely on the principle of forgiveness. I like to think that the tearful joy he expressed at being pardoned by the very person he had maimed has translated into a life based on love, compassion and forgiveness. When I think of what Jesus did for me - which far surpasses what this one Iranian woman did for the man who hurt her - I am grateful beyond measure, tearfully humbled, and joyously inspired to live by love and mercy.

If one woman can forgive a man who maimed her, then surely I can forgive another for harming me. If one woman can show mercy despite being empowered to exact revenge, then surely I can show mercy. If the very God whom I have offended countless times through my sins can forgive me and show me undeserved mercy through the sacrifice of His Son, then surely I can strive to honor Him by showing forgiveness and mercy to others. Such things are what true joy is made of. Such things are the fruit of a soul set free.