By Doug Bing, Washington Conference president
In Ohio, there is a marker placed in memory of a terrible event. It is one of two markers commemorating Vietnam veteran Gene Simmers.
Gene was a combat medic in Vietnam. He earned a Silver Star for his actions in saving men under intense fire during one of the missions. That in itself is a memorable and honorable accomplishment. There is no doubt that that mission and others stayed with him throughout his life. Yet what is written on one of his grave markers is something else that also stayed with him until the end of his life.
The marker says, “In memory of the elderly woman I killed in Vietnam. Forgive me. I’m so sorry. Gene Simmers.” Such a sad and poignant reminder of the ugliness of war and the memories of war that stay front and center in the mind. Gene died in 2002 with this still on his mind. The circumstances of this event are not publicly known. For Gene, though, they were very real. For him, this repentance needed to be written in stone. Sadly, it appears that he wasn’t sure of forgiveness.
The war of ideologies between good and evil is even uglier than the wars fought on this earth. It is a war that affects each one of us. It is a war where lives are lost. It is also a war where lives are saved. God has promised forgiveness. 1 John 1:9 gives one of the greatest promises in the midst of this war: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” There is assurance. There is a rock-solid promise. This promise was engraved in the palms of the hands of Jesus. This promise is assured in the graveyard that has an empty tomb.
The cool thing about this promise is that our sins are not going to be engraved in stone for all to read. Instead, the Bible says in Acts 3:19, “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that the times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” You see, once we give them all to God, the sins that haunt us are erased. The devil wants to engrave them in stone for all to see. God wants to wipe them all away. He has the right to do so, and most of all, God enjoys wiping the slate clean.
So what haunts your mind of the things you have done?
Take heart and give them to God with the assurance that all is forgiven. Then walk in newness of life with Jesus as your Lord and Redeemer.