”I forgive you Pa” He said those words because he sensed that it was the only way to save his own heart, to stop it from breaking into two.
Don’t we feel this sometimes? How holding on to grudges can only make us desolate and bitter through time. Forgiveness is the key to set us free.
The world is full of hate and now it is only magnified through social media. We see how people lash at people they don’t know with venomous words and spewing hatred wherever their eyes and fingers would take them. Mad at people who’ve hurt them or mad at themselves. We all know this feeling, it is close to us because at one point we’ve felt angry at injustices done to us. From people who hold positions who don’t know us to people closer to home – families who unknowingly or maybe intentionally want to hurt us.
I came across this book as Jason bought it for Grey sometime last year for his free read. They both finished this last year and I only got to read it now. Immediately I was hooked with Chapter 1. (Of course I can only read during down time, when I was breastfeeding and putting Gio down for a nap..) There were 2 main characters in the story – Despereaux the mouse and Roscuro the rat. The book explored how choices can change the course of our lives. D was an unwanted mouse but he chose to do other things that are not mouse-ly in nature drawn to beauty like books and music instead of hunting for food. He was despised because of his uncommon nature – ‘you are not one of us’ they would say. Then he fell in love, with the Princess Pea and this love gave him courage to withstand life. He was brought in for trial in the mouse council for talking to a human and the worst part was it was his family who betrayed him and turned him over and even by his own father. He was brought to the dungeon where there was no hope and light at all.
The other character Roscuro was a rat who was born in and who lives in the dungeon – a very dark place where prisoners are sent. He was attracted to the light but his companions would often deny this and make him believe that he was meant for darkness. One day, he was able to go up to the castle and was enamored by the beauty of living in the light. Until he landed in the Queen’s soup which caused her to die on the spot. He was called a rat and was banished to the dungeon. Princess pea abhorred him and people gave him a look of disgust. This stirred a hatred in him and he just wanted to cause chaos and destruction wherever he went.
Both characters experienced a trial in their life but each responded differently. Whilst the other nursed his wound and ego embracing his dark nature, the other comforted himself with hope, with seeing the light and the love he felt.
This verse came to mind while reading the story,
Ephesians 5:8-11
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness,righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them
It’s true that by nature we aren’t really good and until now we are in the struggle of choosing to leave that old self behind. But as we believe in Jesus, we are now children of God and living in the light. Sometimes we can still get tricked to believe that we are not saved at all but this is the lie that is often deceiving us. Same with Roscuro – just live as a rat, you are dirty after all. But D is now embodying the boldness and chivalry of a knight from the books he read, and he doesn’t believe he is a mouse but a valiant and honorable character in the body of a mouse.
He also chose to do the honorable thing – to forgive his father for betraying him. He kept his heart soft and his character courageous while Roscuro chose otherwise.
Leading me to go back to the quote above. Doesn’t it feel like we are the ones suffering when we hold onto the hatred and aren’t we the ones being destroyed by the anger we nurture inside? The truth is forgiveness is hard but i am faced with the fact that Jesus forgave me too. Sometimes it feels like we can’t forgive ourselves too but when we look at the cross, Jesus has loved even the unlovable parts in us and letting this sink in, we can do this to others.
Even if this book is a children’s book I like how simple it was yet it was also deep that it allows me to confront my beliefs and the hard truths. The power of choice is this – it can drastically turn our lives around. Will we choose the trials of life to harden our hearts and embitter us or keep us connected to who we are as children of light and give us the courage to face life?