Louie Zamperini was an American Olympic distance runner who began running in high school and qualified for the US in the 5,000-meter race for the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Though he only finished 8th, he was fast enough to catch the attention of Adolf Hitler, who shook his hand and said, “Ah, you’re the boy with the fast finish.” There was much more to the story of this immigrant kid who overcame a misbehaving childhood to become an Olympic athlete.

Louie’s story was told in a book and the inspirational movie Unbroken. As a WW II bombardier, he was shot down over the Pacific. He spent 47 days in a raft only to be picked up by the Japanese, who imprisoned and tortured him. He became the target of senseless beatings in a concentration camp. After surviving his capture, he later became a Christian while attending a Billy Graham crusade. That led to him personally forgiving the captors who had beaten him during the war.

2 Corinthians 2 – Forgiveness Liberates

Paul provides guidelines for the Corinthian church on forgiveness in verses 5-11. He calls for the church to offer forgiveness to someone who had sinned but later repented. He advised the church to put the incident behind them so Satan wouldn’t gain leverage over them. Louie Zamperini learned that anger can quickly turn into bitterness and become corrosive, but understanding God’s forgiveness liberated him from his resentment.

The Kingdom Coach and Athlete understand forgiveness needs to be as speedy as when disciplining their team. Forgiveness applies to all relationships, which include friendships, marriage, and members of the church. They refuse to hold grudges that might allow Satan to tempt them.

Bible Memory Verse – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

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