Another family reunion for North and South Koreans was held in the DMZ of Korea this past week. 96 families had private reunions with their relatives living in the North. Such a family reunion event began as a result of the first inter-Korean summit in 2000. Twenty face-to-face family reunion events have been held so far.
Nearly 130,000 South Koreans are registered in the government’s database as having family in the North, separated by the 1950-53 Korean War. Half of them have already died, with around 66,000 people on the waiting list. The border between the two Koreas remains tightly closed, with no cross-border travel, phone calls or email exchanges allowed. The two Koreas are technically still in a state of war as the Korean War ended in a ceasefire, not a peace treaty.
The Korean War separated millions of Koreans from family members for a multitude of reasons. What they have in common is shock that South and North Korea remain so bitterly divided after so much time. A mother, 95, reunited with her youngest daughter, who was 2 when she left her and is now 64. She said before meeting her daughter, “I am not sure if I will even be able to recognize her. I don’t even remember how she looked as a baby.” In another reunion, a husband who was separated 65 years ago met his wife. They were separated after 6 months of marriage when the Korean War started. She said that she can't even cry because it has been so long but she missed him a lot. She thought her husband died and has had a ceremony every year for the past 37 years. She gave birth to his son after he disappeared and raised her son alone with hard jobs. These similar stories were commonly shared from everyone who was fortunate enough to be selected to be a part of this reunion.
What a tragedy! The war separated them from being together for such a long time. And there is yet another divde that separates people. Hurt separates! What does hurt do to relationships with other people? It divides. When a person hurts another person, it drives them apart and separates them.
Have you been hurt by someone or have you hurt someone, and as a result, the relationship has been broken? And are you longing to restore that broken relationship again? How can you be close again? Something needs to be done. The hurt has to be forgiven. You may say, “It wasn’t my fault that our relationship broke!” But Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Jesus, being blameless, voluntarily offered Himself to be the sacrifice that would overcome our sins against God.
And the Apostle Paul says in Colossians 3:13, “Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Not only did Jesus bring us close to God, but Jesus also wants us to forgive others and be forgiven from others. Jesus can give us the courage, strength and love that will enable us to forgive. No human can remove the hurt. Only Jesus can. Are you having a hard time forgiving someone even though you’ve been wanting to forgive because your wound is too deep? Ask Jesus to give you the courage, strength and love that will enable you to forgive. Jesus desires to restore our broken relationships with each other. What a tragedy it would be if the relationships remain broken for 50, 60 years or even beyond! You don’t want to wait too long before it becomes a little too late. Our God is a God of union, not of separation.
From Pastor Neil’s Heart
October 25, 2015