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• Spiritual surgery. "In the creative violence of love," Smedes wrote, "you reach into the unchangeable past and cut away the wrong from the person who wronged you; you erase the hurt in the archives of your heart."

• Starting over. Smedes noted, "It is the beginning of a new journey together. We must begin where we are, not at an ideal place for reunion. … Nasty questions are unanswered. The future is uncertain; we have more hurts and more forgiving ahead of us."

Smedes also said forgiveness is often a group project. As the Amish demonstrated, belonging to a Christian community committed to a forgiving lifestyle can help us forgive when the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Yes, forgiveness is hard, but with God nothing is impossible. Ten Boom learned this lesson in Munich: "Ashamed, horrified at herself, she prayed: 'Lord, forgive me, I cannot forgive.'" Indeed, ten Boom later wrote, God empowered her to grasp the guard's hand and filled her heart with love.

Shocking or not, we must go and do likewise. Our lives—and our reputations—depend on it.

Copyright © 2007 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Christian History & Biography's issue on the Amish, Mennonites, and Brethren, is available at CTLibrary.com.

Christianity Today's Weblog covered the October shooting at the Amish school.

Other Christianity Today articles on forgiveness include:

CT Classic: Forgiveness—The Power to Change the Past | To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you. (December 1, 2002)

The Clumsy Embrace | Croatian Miroslav Volf wanted to love his Serbian enemies; the Prodigal's father is showing him how. (October 26, 1998)

The Other Brother Had a Point | What kind of world would this be if people were rewarded for squandering their families' inheritance? (October 26, 1998)

It's Hard to Hug a Bully | It is easier to repay evil for evil, but then all you've got is evil. (January 11, 1999)

Good Question: Keys to Forgiving | How do you know that you have truly forgiven someone? (December 3, 2001)

The Forgiveness Factor | Social scientists like Robert Enright are discovering the healing power of a Christian virtue. (January 10, 2000)

Reflections: On Enemies |Quotations to stir the heart and mind on hatred and forgiveness (January 7, 2002)

Slowing Down the Runaway Forgiveness Truck | Is there such a thing as too much mercy? (Books & Culture, July 1, 2004)

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January 2007, Vol. 51, No. 1