This caught my attention because it was such a remarkable thing for Mark Cronin to do. Not only did he forgive the drunk driver who hit him two years ago – resulting in him losing his leg, he showed up at the sentencing hearing and forgave her in open court in front of the judge and the officers.
Instead of asking the judge to throw the book at her, Mark Cronin walked over and gave her a hug in open court and told her that he knew she didn’t mean to do it and he forgives her. Sobbing uncontrollably, the former juvenile probation officer was taken off to serve her six month sentence.
Forgiveness is a powerful tool. Mark could have spent the rest of his life bitter over what had happened to him. That would have affected his marriage, his young kids and the direction his life took. And, by the way, as it relates to the drunk driver – being forgiven doesn’t make your punishment lighter – it actually makes it harder… Being forgiven is an act of generosity and love. As the wrong-doer, you can’t bare the thought of forgiving yourself – so you beat yourself up even more.
WHO ARE YOU STILL BLAMING? WHAT DID THEY DO TO YOU? Email me – I want to hear your story: radio@melrobbins.com