Analysis Of Mary Johnson And Oshea Israel

Mary Johnson and Oshea Israel shared their story that revolves around the positivity that comes from the act of forgiveness. As a teenager, Oshea Israel got into a fight at a party, which resulted in him shooting and killing Mary Johnson’s only child, Laramiun Byrd. Oshea did his time in jail, and after being released from prison, he reunited with Mary. While Mary was broken down crying, Oshea did the only thing he knew and hugged her in support. Despite many years of hardships and boiled up anger towards Oshea for the death of her son, Mary found forgiveness within her heart during that moment of reunion. Oshea was shocked that Mary could somehow find forgiveness towards him, despite his murder of her only son. From then on the two became …show more content…
With forgiveness comes a mended relationship, and Mary’s forgiveness of Oshea brought apon a new loving relationship between the two that now benefits both their lives. Mary explains how she treats Oshea as a son and hopes to witness all the life moments she wishes she could have seen her son have through his life. Meanwhile Oshea explains how Mary’s forgiveness and hope that he will prosper inspires him to continue going down the right paths in life. Both Mary and Oshea seem to have gained benefits from their new relationship; Mary can still experience the joys of having a child, and Oshea can experience the benefits having a loving mother figure. If Mary were to have not forgave Oshea and continue hostility towards him, they would have never been able to receive the happiness they've gained from their relationship and choice of peace; Mary wouldn't have Oshea in her life as another son in her eyes, and Oshea wouldn't have Mary as a loving motherly figure. Mary could have easily chose not to forgive Oshea, but then she would be living in grief for longer, and without someone like Mary to guide him, Oshea may have ended up choosing the wrong paths in life. Mary made the best out of a difficult situation by choosing peace by forgiving Oshea. Their story confirms that although forgiveness is difficult to give, especially to a person …show more content…
God teaches that we must be abidingly forgiving, similarly to how forgiving God is towards us, and Mary’s story showcases why this teaching is so important and valuable throughout our lives. Throughout our faith God constantly displays his everlasting mercy, forgiveness, and allowance of our penance. One example can be found in Colossians 3:13 when the Bible says, “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you”. Here God teaches us to forgive everyone, just as he endlessly forgives us. Another example of the importance of forgiveness in our faith can be found in Matthew 6:14-15 where the Bible says, “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others of their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins”. When Mary forgave Oshea, she followed the footsteps of God and his teachings of the importance of forgiveness. Similarly to how despite our sins God still continuously forgives us, despite any grievances Mary forgave Oshea. For the average person, it would be extremely difficult to forgive someone who murdered a love one. However, Mary was able to forgive Oshea, and in doing so she also is living out the teachings of God. Specifically her actions also showcase that she is living out multiple Beatitudes. One