The Power of Forgiveness

I watched a movie recently that got to me, and I thought about it a lot.  The bad guy is very angry throughout the whole movie, and very conflicted.  The good guy, who is actually a girl, tries to convince him that he can be good, but he refuses, and eventually she gives up.

In one part of the movie, near the end, the good guy and bad guy are fighting.  She nearly kills him, but stops, and actually saves his life.  Because of this, he has a change of heart, and joins her.

I thought a lot about this scene, and how it applied to real life.  I thought "What caused him to have a change of heart?  What did he learn from her actions?" 

What he learned was mercy.  Compassion. Love.  And forgiveness.

I thought about what I could learn from her.  At first, I wasn't sure.  I'm not angry, or conflicted, or a "bad guy".  I won't have a massive change of heart because someone shows compassion and forgiveness to me. 

Then it hit me.  I can show others.  I can show mercy.  I can show compassion, love.  And forgiveness.

Of course, I don't know any villains, but I do know people who are angry, lonely, sad, conflicted, people who have hurt me, people who have hurt others, people who think there is no hope.

I may not change them overnight, or even at all, but I can show them that someone cares, that the world is not a terrible place, and that there is love, there is kindness, and there is hope.