I am in awe of the capacity the late United States Representative John Lewis had to forgive. I will admit I had no idea the depth of his personal suffrage until recently.
Moving on with Strength
As Lewis’ life has been memorialized, I was especially taken by the fact Lewis was nearly beaten to death as part of a march for civil rights on May 4, 1961 in Rock Hill, South Carolina and then beaten again on March 7, 1965, suffering a fractured skull in Selma, Alabama.
Yet he was quoted saying, “You have to have the capacity and ability to take what people did, and how they did it, and forgive them and move on.”
I am not sure I would have that same capacity or ability if I encountered all the adversarial attitudes and physical attacks, Lewis suffered. Although I am thankful for men like Lewis who stood the challenge and served our country as a United States House of Representatives for Georgia’s 5th congressional district from 1987 until his death in 2020 from pancreatic cancer.
It humbles me to think of the occasional strife I suffer and how I react. It also reminds me that no matter what the obstacle or adversarial comment that might be made against me, I need to have the capacity to forgive and move on.
How different would each of our lives be if we took Lewis’ advice today – not to imply we should accept when someone wrongs us, however, after righting the wrong, we moved on and not allow that action tear us down, I believe that is what Lewis would say.
So as you find yourself confronted with controversy or your words or actions twisted, remember what your intent is and focus on how you can persevere for good, letting go of the negative or when possible just ignoring it. And if the situation requires action, do your best to have a well thought out plan that lifts you up and doesn’t bring your adversary down more than is necessary, so that as Lewis said, you have the ability to forgive and move on.
