To help heal the wounds left by racial injustices in South Africa, the government extended amnesty to any citizens who would come forward with the truth about crimes they had committed.
Many atrocities were detailed and confessed. Some families learned for the first time the "who, what, when, where, and how" of their loved one's "extermination." Many cloaked their confession in "I was just following orders." For some victim's families, the truth brought a degree of closure.
As I watched segments of the proceedings on TV, I longed to see expressions of heartfelt repentance and forgiveness. No doubt some genuine healing took place, but it wasn't obvious from what I saw. Then it occurred to me that truth alone doesn't bring about reconciliation. That comes only when truth is accompanied by grace. But what is the source of such grace? John said that Jesus was "full of grace and truth" (Jn. 1:14). And Paul said that when Jesus died on the cross, "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself" (2 Cor. 5:19).
As Christians, we experience God's grace and forgiveness in a deeply personal way. Because we are reconciled to Him, we are enabled to extend grace to others. — Dennis J. De Haan
His grace is sufficient, no one can exhaust it;
Be strong in God's grace—each day it is new.
Draw largely, continually, out of His fullness;
You'll find that His grace is sufficient for you. —Anon.
Those who know God's grace will show God's grace.