Josephine Ligon tells of a family in the town where she grew up
who preached and practiced forgiveness. Their name was Parsons.
On one occasion, Mr. Parsons watched young Josephine get swatted
by the broom of a mean old lady in town who didn't like the
neighborhood children getting too close to her property. He
stopped Josephine and told her, "Go back and tell Mrs. Brink that
you forgive her for hitting you."
"Say, 'I forgive you' to Mrs. Brink?"
Mr. Parsons smiled. "Forgiveness comes in many forms," he said.
"You don't actually have to say, 'I forgive you.' A simple smile
will do. You might just tell her that her daffodils are pretty."
It seemed dumb to young Josephine, but in those days children did
what their elders told them to do. So, she went back and mumbled
something to Mrs. Brink about her daffodils being pretty. Mrs.
Brink looked shocked, but it was the last time Josephine ever
felt her broom.
On another occasion Josephine and several of her third grade
friends put a handful of pencil shavings into the Parsons girl's
sandwich, just to be mean and to make her mad. But she didn't
get mad. Instead, the next day, without any sign of repentance
from her persecutors, the Parsons girl brought everyone in the
class a large, beautiful, delicious, hand-decorated cookie which
said, "Jesus loves you." Years later Josephine Ligon still
remembers that demonstration of forgiveness more than any sermon.
Forgiveness is more than words; it's action!
-- From: Christianity Today, March 2, 1979, p. 18
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