Brandt Jean (brother of Botham Jean) offers forgiveness to Amber Guyger

An Amazing Scene

October 3rd 2019 saw an incredible event take place in the state of Texas. As the sentencing of former police officer, Amber Guyger for the murder of Botham Jean took place, the brother of Botham, Brandt, extended forgiveness to the convicted murderer. He explained that he loved her and wanted the best for her. He invited her to seek forgiveness from God and, to the surprise of everyone in the courtroom, he asked the judge if he could give her a hug. To say that the scene was "powerful to witness" would be an understatement. You can read more and see the touching video here:

Young Man Stuns Courtroom By Forgiving Brother's Murderer, Urging Her To Seek Christ

This event and trial have been plagued with charges of racism, hatred, and division. But Brandt decided to break through all that to show Amber the love and forgiveness of Christ offered to everyone who will seek it. I am reminded tonight of the words of one of my favorite songs growing up on the 90s:

"We're colored people and we live in a tainted place...We've got a history so full of mistakes. And we are colored people who depend upon a holy grace."

If these lyrics do not sound familiar, or you are recalling them for the first time in a while and want to hear the song again, here is the original music video from dc Talk:

It is only in the Christian worldview that we find unity in this amazing colorful diversity. We are all created in the Image of God with equal and intrinsic value. We all make mistakes, mistakes with some of the most devastating and fatal impacts and consequences on our fellow human beings, but there is no mistake that is beyond the forgiveness of a loving God for those who genuinely seek His forgiveness. It is my prayer that Guyger seeks this forgiveness.

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For more on this unique features of the Christian worldview, I encourage you to check out these additional posts:

Introduction

How can you helplessly watch as a child dies from agonizing cancer? Doesn't the love you feel tell you that that suffering is evil and a God who is all loving and all powerful would rescue that child? How can God be all loving and all powerful if He allows such a child to suffer and die?

This is a challenge that is often raised by atheists to reject the God of the Bible. But today, I am not going to answer the atheist who raises the challenge as an armchair hypothetical that they have never experienced; instead I want to speak to the person who either has experienced this tragedy or is in the middle of it, and it causes them to be skeptical of the goodness and even existence of God.

This Is What Love Feels Like

But could God have a purpose for the pain that you feel? Before I get to that, please watch this tribute to those who have cared for a loved one at the end of their life: This Is What Love Feels Like, by dc Talk, inspired by Toby McKeehan's experience:

Knowing Love Through Suffering

Jesus knew the suffering that would take Him to His physical limits, yet He persisted and conquered: This was His love for you as He suffering the torture of crucifixion. If you have been taken to your limits through the suffering of a loved one, you know this love.

Without the suffering of a loved one, we would not know this love for someone else that takes us to our limits (and live to tell of it), what love truly feels like. Without the suffering of a loved one, we would not have the privilege of getting a trace of understanding of the depth of Christ's love for us that took Him to the end of His physical limits. Caring for a spouse, parent, or child as they leave this world has to be one of the most painful experiences, and we do not escape it unchanged by the suffering it has caused. We are wounded, but we can use those wounds to heal. We can become the wounded healer (see my post "The Wounded Healer: Finding Ultimate Purpose In Your Suffering" for more on this concept). And just as we are alive today to be wounded healers, Jesus conquered death through His bodily resurrection to be the Ultimate Wounded Healer that we point to.

While it is a privilege to experience what this kind of love feels like (though it comes at a great cost, just like it did for Christ), our experience only scratches the surface of the love that Christ has. And our experience is only one person (or maybe a few people in extremely tragic situations) at a time. But Jesus' love, as He suffered death, was not just for you or just for a few people, it was for every person (John 3:16).

Conclusion

We must not forget that our suffering in this life will come to an end. It is finite, and this finite suffering is not worth comparing to the infinite glory that will one day be revealed in us (Romans 8:18) and can be revealed in others to enjoy with us, if we are willing to be used by God to be wounded healers. Do not be discouraged. Our perfect God has a purpose for your suffering. Without Him, your experience is gratuitous pain with no purpose or meaning. But because God exists and Christ is resurrected from the dead, your experience is both purposeful and meaningful. Through your experience, God has blessed you with a deeper understanding of His love for you, and now He gives you the privilege to speak hope, life, love, meaning, and purpose to the brokenhearted suffering and struggling the same as you are.