People can be so cruel. At times, even those who are closest to us can hurt us deeply. It is easy to become bitter, hold on to our hurt and/or anger, and harbor unforgiveness in our hearts. We may even turn these feelings outward and strike out at others, creating a vicious cycle of pain and resentment. Have you ever experienced any of that?
In 1847, Charlotte Bronte’s classic novel Jane Eyre was published. It was originally titled, “Jane Eyre: an Autobiography” and used the pseudonym Currer Bell as the author. The story is not an autobiography of Charlotte Bronte, though it is commonly believed that many of the elements of the setting, as well as Bronte’s personal attendance of a rather uninviting boarding school, inspired parts of the storyline. In the book, Jane experiences a lot of hardship in her life, including losing her parents as a child, not being loved by her family who took her in, being sent to a horrible and abusive boarding school, and falling in love with a man who she cannot morally bring herself to marry. One of the themes that runs throughout the book is one of forgiveness. As she goes through life, Jane learns to forgive the harshness of her childhood and youth, and enjoys what life has to offer when you are free of the burden of unforgiveness.
The creative team of “Jane Eyre: the Musical” enjoyed five Tony Award nominations, though it only ran for 209 performances before closing. Famous singer/songwriter Alanis Morissette donated $150,000 worth of tickets to the show to various charities as a display of the friendship she had with composer/lyricist Paul Gordon. This donation allowed the show to remain open for the 2001 television broadcast of the Tony Awards.
The musical includes many direct quotes from the novel, and addresses the “gentle audience” of the show in the same first-person manner as the “gentle reader” of the book. Early in the show, when Young Jane is at the boarding school, she makes a friend named Helen who is the first to explain the importance of forgiveness her:
Helen (Young Jane)
You mustn’t be revengeful (She would deserve it, and so would he!)
You have to be strong
To offer good for evil (They should be the ones to suffer!)
Return right for wrong
We must not hold a grudge
And we must learn to endure (I will never learn)
Then as God is your judge (You should learn to strike back at them!)
At least your heart will be pure
Forgiveness
Is the mightiest sword
Forgiveness of those you hate
Will be your highest reward
The song goes on, and Young Jane says that she will never forgive her horrible aunt, Mrs. Reed, nor will she ever bless her son, John. However, later on toward the end of the show, when Jane learns of John’s death, she offers a blessing to him. She also forgives Mrs. Reed:
Jane (Mrs. Reed)
(I have cheated you)
I do not hold a grudge (No, you must!)
These are the things of the past (I have robbed you of any chance of happiness)
And for your soul to be free (My soul is in hell)
You must accept this at last
Forgiveness
Is your only way free
Forgiveness
Of yourself is your forgiveness from me
(I will never comprehend. Never.)
You must pray
For God to bring you peace
And come what may
Forgiveness is your release
In season 5 of American Idol, the popular singer/songwriter Mandisa finished as the 9th place finalist. One of her most memorable moments on the show, however, was during the initial audition process when crass judge, Simon Cowell, upon seeing Mandisa for the first time, hurled the insulting question, “Do we have a bigger stage this year?” to the other judges in reference to her weight. After greatly impressing all judges (including Simon) with her amazing voice, Mandisa left the audition. When she returned to hear the result of her audition, she opened up by saying to Simon, “I want you to know that I’ve forgiven you. And that you don’t need someone to apologize in order to forgive somebody,” and continued on to say that if Jesus could die so that her wrongs could be forgiven, then she could extend that same grace to forgive Simon. He was certainly brought down to size after that!
The Bible says in Daniel 9:9 that, “the Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him.” What amazing love! I have to be on the receiving end of that daily. Okay, several times a day! When we do something wrong, then ask the Lord to forgive us, He removes our sins from us as far away as the east is from the west (Psalms 103:12)! That is such a fascinating concept. When travelling north to south, there is a definite point where you stop going north and begin going south, and vice versa. North Carolina is always north of Georgia. New Mexico is always south of Alaska. However, let’s go from Georgia to California (west). California to Japan (west). Japan to India (west). India to Great Britain (west). Great Britain to Georgia (west). We went all the way around the entire globe and never went east! You can do the same thing the other direction. There is no definite point where west ends and east begins, nor where east ends and west begins. The psalmist David made an amazing point with this analogy that when God forgives you, there is no end to that forgiveness. The Lord says that He will remember our sins no more (Hebrews 10:17)! Indeed, God says in Isaiah 1:18 that “though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow.” Have you ever tried to get a blood stain out of white clothes? I had nose bleeds all the time as a child, and it didn’t take long for me to realize that I should never wear white shirts! Now, my mom is a rockstar with laundry, but those white shirts were never the same. But God is so amazing, and His love and forgiveness so great, that there is not even a hint of the stain of sin that remains! Wow! That is something to be excited about!
In Ephesians 4:31-32 the Apostle Paul says to, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” Do you have someone in your life who needs your forgiveness? Can you extend a similar grace that Mandisa gave to Simon Cowell? Even if the person/people who wronged you never apologize or ask you to forgive them, will you do it anyway? Even if it has been many years, can you forgive someone who intentionally sabotaged you the way Jane Eyre forgave her aunt, Mrs. Reed? Are you the one in need of forgiveness? What can you do to try to clear the air? Have you accepted the forgiveness of your Heavenly Father that He freely and openly extends to you? What will you do differently in the future once you receive forgiveness? It’s a lot to think about, for sure, but take the time because it is so important. It can be scary to ask forgiveness, or even approach someone to extend it. But take courage from the last part of the song from Young Jane’s friend Helen:
You must never lose faith
You must never lose heart
God will restore your trust
And I know you’re afraid
I’m as scared as you are
But willing to be brave
Brave enough for love
