He just could not take it anymore.
That is what William Lafaver told a 911 operator when he called in to confess to a murder that he said that he had committed more than 30 years ago.
According to CBC news, Lefaver’s common law wife was found dead in a cabin near Prince Albert National Park in 1975. Lafaver originally told police that she fell and hit her head on a stove. With no witnesses and no other information to go on, the death was ruled “accidental” and the matter was dropped. That is until January 30, 2008 when Lafaver called and confessed to the crime. The incident had weighed heavily on him for years, he said. He had to do something because he was tired of living with the guilt.
(Not a very “Christmassy” article so far, hey? Give it a minute.)
All of us have things in our past that we wish we could “undo” and things that “weigh heavily” on us. Over the years, I have spoken with countless people who are being haunted by memories from long ago.
This is where the church can (and should) step in, because we have a message that can change things.
When Jesus was being nailed to the cross, after being beaten, lied about, mocked and despised, he look around and said, “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). That is amazing! His message was not one of vengeance (as mine would have been), but of love.
“Forgiveness” was the message of Christ and it has to be the message of the people of Christ. It is the message that everyone (including me) needs to hear.
Any other message fails because it tells me to fix things (“Try harder! Do better”). Forgiveness, though, focuses on God’s power to change things. In the cross, the love of God and the power of Holy Spirit, I have a message about His ability to make things right.
That has to be our first and central message, because it is the only message worth knowing and sharing.
Forgiveness is a gift that we all need.
(Ps. In March of this year, Mr. Lafaver was found “not guilty” and was released)
That is what William Lafaver told a 911 operator when he called in to confess to a murder that he said that he had committed more than 30 years ago.
According to CBC news, Lefaver’s common law wife was found dead in a cabin near Prince Albert National Park in 1975. Lafaver originally told police that she fell and hit her head on a stove. With no witnesses and no other information to go on, the death was ruled “accidental” and the matter was dropped. That is until January 30, 2008 when Lafaver called and confessed to the crime. The incident had weighed heavily on him for years, he said. He had to do something because he was tired of living with the guilt.
(Not a very “Christmassy” article so far, hey? Give it a minute.)
All of us have things in our past that we wish we could “undo” and things that “weigh heavily” on us. Over the years, I have spoken with countless people who are being haunted by memories from long ago.
This is where the church can (and should) step in, because we have a message that can change things.
When Jesus was being nailed to the cross, after being beaten, lied about, mocked and despised, he look around and said, “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). That is amazing! His message was not one of vengeance (as mine would have been), but of love.
“Forgiveness” was the message of Christ and it has to be the message of the people of Christ. It is the message that everyone (including me) needs to hear.
Any other message fails because it tells me to fix things (“Try harder! Do better”). Forgiveness, though, focuses on God’s power to change things. In the cross, the love of God and the power of Holy Spirit, I have a message about His ability to make things right.
That has to be our first and central message, because it is the only message worth knowing and sharing.
Forgiveness is a gift that we all need.
(Ps. In March of this year, Mr. Lafaver was found “not guilty” and was released)
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