We’ve been here before but it’s been a while. During Canada’s first October Crisis, in 1970, roughly half of the country’s current population either wasn’t born or was just being born. Many of us, though, can recall the brazen kidnappings of British Trade Commissioner James Cross and Quebec Labour Minister Pierre Laporte by the homegrown urban terrorist group, the F.L.Q. (Front de Liberation du Quebec). Prior to 1970, this group was responsible for setting off bombs in public and other terrorist acts before their fanaticism came to full flower in October 1970. Before it was over, Mr. Laporte had been murdered and Canada was effectively a police state with the imposition of the War Measures Act (later replaced by the less-restrictive Emergencies Act in 1988).
People are saying that after the shootings in Ottawa last October 22 that resulted in the deaths of a National War Memorial honor guard and his assailant, Canada has lost her innocence. I beg to differ. This kind of thing may be new for the generation of Canadians that has known little or no relatable conflict, but to suggest that this is new territory for Canada is a tad naïve and perhaps revisionist. What is unclear to many is where to go from here. Many of us are angry and we should be. That said, to allow our anger to fester and to direct it against a particular group of people would be self-detrimental.
You may or may not believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God but no matter. He has some words that will help us out with all of this. It is recorded in John 10:17-18 that Christ said, “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down my life so that I may take it back up again. No one takes it away from Me, but from Myself, I lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”
People are saying that after the shootings in Ottawa last October 22 that resulted in the deaths of a National War Memorial honor guard and his assailant, Canada has lost her innocence. I beg to differ. This kind of thing may be new for the generation of Canadians that has known little or no relatable conflict, but to suggest that this is new territory for Canada is a tad naïve and perhaps revisionist. What is unclear to many is where to go from here. Many of us are angry and we should be. That said, to allow our anger to fester and to direct it against a particular group of people would be self-detrimental.
You may or may not believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God but no matter. He has some words that will help us out with all of this. It is recorded in John 10:17-18 that Christ said, “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down my life so that I may take it back up again. No one takes it away from Me, but from Myself, I lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”
To put these words in their proper context, they refer to His God-ordained mission and purpose and were pointing to His pending death and resurrection. However, consider for a moment the curious statement that no one takes His life from Him but, rather, He lays it down. Why does He distinguish between laying down His life and not allowing it to be taken from Him? It’s a control issue. Jesus refused to surrender His life to His enemies by giving them justification for killing Him. He never struck back or retaliated in any way. Instead, He allowed their injustice to come to fruition so it could be seen for what it was, a travesty based on lies, a suppression of the truth. For Him to lash out in revenge would’ve been to taint Himself, to allow His life to be taken from Him. Those who embitter us control us. Those who receive the brunt of our grudges own us and have taken our lives from us. They win.
From now on, we must be vigilant but not prejudiced. We must strive for justice and resist vengeance because vengeance isn’t ours, it is God’s. And finally, we must understand that forgiveness is for our own sakes. It never validates the bad deeds of others but spares us from the bitterness we allow into our lives that will ultimately destroy us. It won’t be easy but we must not allow our enemies to take our lives from us. They aren’t worthy of them.
From now on, we must be vigilant but not prejudiced. We must strive for justice and resist vengeance because vengeance isn’t ours, it is God’s. And finally, we must understand that forgiveness is for our own sakes. It never validates the bad deeds of others but spares us from the bitterness we allow into our lives that will ultimately destroy us. It won’t be easy but we must not allow our enemies to take our lives from us. They aren’t worthy of them.
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