"Couple 'adopts' drunken driver responsible for son's death"

A couple of decades ago, the associated press ran a story about a couple that was truly inspiring.  For years the embittered couple did everything within their power to make life miserable for the drunken driver who had killed their only child.  They followed him to his court appearances, they followed him to the county jail to make sure he was serving his prison sentence of weekend time, and they even followed him to his apartment.

Ultimately, the grieving couple realized revenge did not work. So they tried a more radical cure for their pain; they forgave the sinner.  They began to have him as a guest in their home for meals and, twice a week, he was their guest at their church.

Listen to what the mother had to say, “The hate and the bitterness I was feeling was destroying me.  I needed to forgive [him] to save myself."

After the parents forgave the drunk driver, he became a Christian, quit drinking, and became an active lecturer for Mothers Against Drunk Driving.  With gratitude he said, "They've given me a better life.  They've made it much easier for me to live with myself and forgive myself."

I love that story.  I love the title of the article "Couple 'adopts' drunken driver responsible for son's death." You know in many ways this story is reminiscent of our own story with God.  We were drunk in our Sin and thus responsible for the death of Jesus.  We should praise God that he didn't seek revenge.  Instead, he forgave us and he adopted us.  We are now his children.

Rom. 5: 6-11: “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

 9Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! 10For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”