Corrie ten Boom survived the holocaust, but her sister and other family members suffered and died in the prison camps. When she was released from prison, she spent her time speaking to great crowds of people, telling of her experience as a prisoner; her message was always about the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. One night, when she had finished her talk, a long line of responders waited to shake her hand and comment on her message. As she glanced down the line, an unforgettable face from her past came into view. The sight of that man filled her heart with fear and then with anger and outrage. She thought: How dare that evil man come near me!

Nevertheless, the Nazi guard who had inflicted unspeakable pain upon her so many years ago was moving toward her. Corrie’s prayers reached out to God. She silently protested and pleaded: “God, what is he doing here? How could You put me in this position? Because of him, my sister died!” As the German guard approached, God spoke into Corrie’s spirit: “Extend your hand to him.” Numbly, she obeyed, and when she gripped the man’s hand, feelings of forgiveness flooded her soul.

Frank Peretti was marked with disfiguring birth defects and walked with a funny kind of walk when he was a little boy. He felt ugly, rejected, and picked on even in kindergarten. He ran away from school when he was in first grade, but his parents made him return. The bullying accelerated to a new height in junior high where he was shoved, insulted, badgered, manhandled, teased, and harassed. “There was nowhere to run,” says Peretti. “They were constantly stabbing me with words, kicking me, hurting me and taking away my dignity.”

Because of the influence of Christian parents and their prayers for him, Peretti survived the bullying, eventually forgave his enemies, and became a best-selling author. He believes that the abuse he suffered actually prepared him to write “The Wounded Spirit” and other books that help and inspire people today.

Joan Borysenko wrote: “Forgiveness is not the misguided act of condoning irresponsible, hurtful behavior. Nor is it a superficial turning of the cheek that leaves us victimized and martyred. Rather, it is the finishing of old business that allows us to experience the present free of contamination from the past.”

Many people have been horribly abused as children and then turned to drugs to numb the pain. The abuse they experienced seems unforgiveable, and yet, they must forgive if they want to go on with their lives.

Louis Zamperini, a World War 11 veteran, spent two and a half years as a POW in a Japanese prison camp. His story, “Unbroken,” written by Laura Hillenbrand, was made into a major motion picture. Zamperini endured horrible torture, starvation, and psychological trauma while in prison. He was rescued in 1945 and returned home as a war hero. Yet, after returning home, he had constant nightmares recalling the horrors he had experienced. He became a heavy drinker and was abusive to his wife. His thoughts were constantly upon the abuse he had experienced and his hatred toward his abusers.

Mrs. Zamperini persuaded her husband to attend a Billy Graham Crusade in Los Angeles. “It was there,” said Zamperini, “that the Holy Spirit gripped my heart.” He then walked the aisle into a prayer room where he repented of his sins and gave his life wholly to the Lord Jesus Christ. Later, he told Dr. Billy Graham: “My life was changed forever. Since that night I have never had another nightmare about my captivity. The Lord radically transformed me.”

Louis Zamperini spent the last years of his life as an inspirational speaker telling his story. His reoccurring theme was always the importance of forgiveness.