As I stated in part one (read it here) my daughter was attacked with a knife by an unknown assailant while she lay sleeping in her own bed, and yet decided to forgive her attacker. I did as well as I never wanted her attacker to take any more than he had already.

My husband Allan (her father) made it known that he would “never forgive” the person who had nearly took his daughters life.

I understood his angst about his daughter being hurt by a man who came in through a window after he left for work. He wanted to protect her.

Yet I also knew that Jesus said Matthew 6:14-15

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (NIV)

So I knew it was a big deal, though in the past had wondered how big a deal it was.

Not only had Allan decided to never forgive, but he had stopped going to church (when God just had him start).

Well one day, months later, my friend had me go to the woman’s Bible study at the church that my husband had been attending (not my own) and  then God led me to tell the pastor about what happened to my daughter (and we discussed forgiveness). When my husband got home told me that he was going to start going to church again.

Thank next Sunday he game home with tears in his eyes and stated “You told her about Megan didn’t you.” I asked “who?”

He then proceeded to tell me that the church he attends has two locations so each Sunday each one of the husband and wife pastor team will teach at one of the locations.

But this Sunday was different. One pastor was away so even though the Woman pastor was due to teach at the location that was not the one my husband went to, she ended up bring the sermon through a simulcast.

She taught about forgiveness and she used what happened to my daughter (and how I felt about it) as  an example.

I was floored.

Allan then said “I have to forgive don’t I?”

I answered, “Yes.”

Now I cannot remember if we prayed or he just nodded his head but I do know that 8 months after my daughter lay in the emergency room, my husband lay in the exact same emergency evaluation room that my daughter had been stitched up in.

The difference was that he never left that room to go home… four day later he was gone, cancer took his life.

Later as he lay there only hours from death, as we prayed over him, God very clearly spoke something to my spirit (when I wasn’t even thinking about it at all).

God said “Lisa you do not have to worry, Allan forgave so he has been forgiven.”

I never again doubted how seriously God took forgiveness…it is a huge deal to Him.

He did all that, manipulated all those circumstances, so that Allan would be able to forgive before his death and final judgment.

Do you hold unforgiveness against someone in your life? Give it to God, forgive and let it go. It is not as important as your soul!