During the Vietnam war, an attack was made on a little village in South Vietnam that was 25 miles north of Saigon. Nine-year-old Kim and her family lived in this village, and unlike the rest of the villagers who fled, Kim and her family hid in a temple.
When Allied troops heard of the attack and that the enemy had taken over the village, they ordered a counterattack on the village. But as a precaution, the attacking Allied general asked, “Are there any villagers there?” The answer was, “All the villagers have fled.” He asked again, “Are there ANY villagers there?” The answer again was that there were none left in the village, and so he issued the order to attack. Kim and her family’s hiding place was no longer a place of refuge - it was a deathtrap.
Kim’s family soon heard the roar of the Allied planes and realized that they were no longer safe. As the planes came closer and closer, Kim’s family started to run - and then the bombs rained on the village.
Kim and her two brothers were running down the road when the bombs hit. Her two brothers were killed instantly, and the heat wave from the dropping bombs burned the clothes right off Kim’s back. Screaming, “It’s hot! It’s hot!” Kim ran straight into an Allied soldier’s arms. But just before she reached the soldier, a man with a camera snapped a picture that took in the whole burning village with Kim in the middle, running.
Overnight, the picture hit the news. It appeared in newsmagazines and newspapers around the world. Millions of people saw the heartrending picture of Kim running in terror from her burning village.
Back in Saigon Kim was hospitalized for months with the awful burns on her back and arms. She slowly recovered and eventually grew up to become a young lady in South Vietnam.
One day Kim heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. She heard how Jesus loved her and died to forgive her sins if she would simply believe on Him. Kim did believe and became a forgiven child of God.
Soon after this she was married, and she and her husband moved as refugees to Newfoundland, Canada. Everyone knew about the war picture, and Kim was asked to speak at many functions. Everywhere she went Kim would also tell how Christ had forgiven her for her sins, and she would add, “I wish I could meet the man who bombed my village - I would like to forgive him.”
The man who attacked her village was still alive. The day after the attack he had seen the heartbreaking picture in the paper of Kim and was very troubled. The picture haunted him - he saw it everywhere he went. After he left the army, he became an alcoholic and his wife soon left him. Alone and desperate and with Kim’s picture still haunting him, this man heard the gospel of God’s love and forgiveness of sins. Deeply feeling his need of forgiveness, he accepted God’s gift of salvation. He then served the Lord full time, but he never forgot the picture of Kim.
One summer this man heard that Kim was going to New York City to speak to a group of Vietnam veterans. He made arrangements to travel there to hear Kim’s message. As always, Kim told of how she had been forgiven by God for her sins, and she finished with, “I would like to meet the man who bombed my village - I would like to forgive him.”
The man heard this amazing statement and rose and walked to the front of the room. “I am that man,” he said simply. “Will you now forgive me?”
It was a very touching scene that followed as Kim publicly forgave the man who had caused her so much pain. She had been forgiven herself by a forgiving God, and although she could not forgive as God could, she was willing to forgive others. “Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:3232And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:32)).
Have you come to Christ to have your sins forgiven? It’s just as simple as what that man did after Kim said she wanted to forgive the person who had bombed her village. The man went up to her, told her who he was, and received her forgiveness. Christ not only loves you, He died for you so that He can offer you forgiveness for all your sins. You simply need to come to Him in prayer, tell Him you are a sinner and that you want His forgiveness for your sins. His promise to you is, “I will forgive [your] iniquity, and I will remember [your] sin no more” (Jeremiah 31:3434And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. (Jeremiah 31:34)).
You may have His forgiveness right now. “Be it known unto you . . . that through this man [Jesus] is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins” (Acts 13:3838Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: (Acts 13:38)).
ML-08/02/1998