As I write, I continue to reflect upon the February 2012 death of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old who was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, a man who claims he fired his weapon once at Martin in self-defense. My pain clearly does not approach that of his parents; but as the father of a 17-year-old son who is one inch taller and 15 pounds heavier than was Trayvon, with trepidation I have tried to put myself in their shoes – waiting for him to come home, frantically and repeatedly calling his cell phone – but no response, calling the police, then receiving the call from the civil authorities that no parent ever wants to receive.

In following the courtroom drama, there is one enduring image that I shall long remember: Trayvon’s parents remaining calm and maintaining their composure in spite of the intensity of the event – intensity that must still be pressing upon them 24 hours a day, seven days a week since over a year and a half ago. How would I feel about the man who admits he shot my son? What if he reclaims some semblance of his life – unlike my son? I saw something in those parents, Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, that I envy. I honestly can’t say that I would possess the same class and dignity that they exhibited day after day in the courtroom and before the media.

But what if Zimmerman were lying? What if he literally got away with murder? Can God forgive Him? Of course the answer is yes. But such love confounds and amazes me. My spirit wouldn’t desire revenge; but it would crave justice. Irrespective of the lifelong consequences Zimmerman will have to face as a result of his decision to pull that trigger, God still offers forgiveness – even for the taking of another’s life. How can He do that? “God made him (Jesus) who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21, NIV).

Imagine the possibilities for a sinner like you. Like me.