Freed and Forgiven

Forgive us for our sins, just as we have forgiven those who sinned against us.

– Matthew 6:12

“I never thought I’d be wearing this striped suit,” admitted the young man as he addressed the crowded high school gymnasium. “I was 10 feet tall and bulletproof.” 

The speaker was Eric Smallridge. And for the previous 10 years, he had been known as Inmate P22679.

In 2002, Eric drove drunk, lost control of his vehicle, and collided with another vehicle driven by 20-year-old Meagan Napier. Meagan and her passenger, Lisa Dickson, were killed instantly. Eric was eventually convicted of DUI manslaughter and sentenced to 22 years in prison.

Renee Napier — Meagan’s mother — was devastated by the tragedy that so radically changed her entire existence and outlook on life. She described her tortured emotional state as “the wailing and crying that comes from the depths of your soul.” So, to render good from such a seemingly senseless incident, Renee founded The Meagan Napier Foundation, through which she has educated more than 100,000 people about the dangers of drunk driving. Her audiences include high-schoolers, church groups, college students, military personnel … and DUI offenders. 

Her presentations were riveting. But Renee still felt that something — or perhaps someone — was missing. And that someone was Inmate Eric Smallridge.

“I knew from the beginning that if I could have Eric with me, that would be very powerful,” she told ABC News. And in 2010, he was permitted to accompany Renee during her lectures. But a stipulation was that Eric had to wear his prison shackles and jumpsuit.

More than 10 years after the accident, Renee couldn’t forget the moment she heard the awful news about her child’s death. But she was able to forgive. In fact, she grew to love Eric and his family. And she even lobbied to cut Eric’s prison sentence to help prevent him from leaving his incarceration with a hardened soul and a criminal mind.

“I could be very angry, hateful, and bitter,” Renee explained. “But I didn’t want to live my life that way. There was no way I could move on and live a happy life without forgiving Eric.”

Eric, however, doubted that he could ever forgive himself. Likewise, it’s easy for you and me to find ourselves in chains when we need to pardon those who’ve offended us. So, let’s consider Jesus’ parable about a man who had once been forgiven of a large debt. Although he was free from that massive financial obligation, he was still stuck in a prison of anger. His wounded soul could not heal. And as a result, he was unable to release a much smaller debt that was owed to him. The consequences were devastating.

As Christ-followers, let’s never forget that we’ve been forgiven for a lifetime’s-worth of sin and shortcomings. So, when we’re hurt by others, let’s seek Him for the power to move us toward the freedom found only through a forgiven — and forgiving — heart.

“Make it a point not to be this guy,” said Inmate P22679, referring to himself. “Don’t reduce your life to shackles and chains.”