..brings peace
May 14, 2010 (Friday)
My high school (San Jacinto High School of Houston, Texas) publishes a newspaper embracing events associated with members of all graduating classes. My class was 1949. There have been many well-known people counted among its graduates, including Walter Cronkite and Dr. Denton Cooley. (The school is no more, but a local college utilizes the campus).
Dr. Cooley’s class was 1939. He writes an article for the alumni paper and the current column is extremely interesting, because he is quite open and honest about his long feud with Dr. Michael DeBakey. They were colleagues at Baylor Medical School, but went their separate ways as they developed different goals and methods. Their rivalry was never a secret, and was often in the news. No one doubts that both of them are great men who changed the future of cardiovascular surgery and have saved an enormous number of lives.
As you know, Dr. DeBakey went through a serious cardiac procedure himself. Dr. Cooley wanted to congratulate him on his heroic recovery but wasn’t clear on how do it. He paid a visit to him and a reconciliation took place. Both men were glad it happened, and Dr. Cooley writes in the current edition of The Campus Cub, “the reconciliation gave me relief and comfort.”
I read in the Bible, “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself.” Jesus emphasized forgiveness time and time again. Perhaps his greatest parable was that of the prodigal son and the forgiving father. Before we had a New Testament, the Hebrew Bible emphasized this. Witness Esau embracing Jacob, forgiving his brother unconditionally. And later, Jacob’s son, Joseph, forgiving all his brothers for their transgression against him. Feel with David the healing balm of divine forgiveness (Psalm 32). God has always wanted all of us to love Him and each other.
Hatred and animosity are the poisons; love and forgiveness the antidotes. It may be the hardest thing you will ever do, but if there is someone with whom you need to be reconciled, please do what you can to make it so. You will forever be glad you did.