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The UK Mail Online called it an “act of skullduggery that cast a shadow over the 1975 [Rugby] World Cup and ended the careers of two men.” From the looks of it, I would call it meanness. The New Zealand Kiwis were playing Wales for the World Cup. A player from New Zealand, John Greengrass, scored, bringing the New Zealand team only one point away from winning the game. “Big Jim” Mills, a player for Wales, didn’t like that so much, so he expressed that opinion on Greengrass’ face, stomping his foot into his head-- in plain view of the referee. (If you want to see the footage, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfSWhA9vZQE . It’s about 1:38 into the clip.)

Needless to say, Mills was thrown out of the game and Greengrass was taken to the hospital with a gapping wound that required 15 stitches. He would never play for New Zealand again. The offending Mills was suspended for six months, and would never be allowed to play in New Zealand again.

You can imagine the bitterness and gloom from having your career ended or your reputation sullied to such a great degree. Both men lived with the unresolved conflict for 33 years. But this past week, John Greengrass, with scar and all, came to visit the UK, and decided it was time to look up Mills and express his forgiveness.

At first, Mills thought it was a joke because the connection on the phone line was bad, and he thought people in the background were laughing. But it wasn’t a joke, and Mills made hotel arrangements for Greengrass and his wife, and the two met. In Mills’ own words, the event was powerful “to have John come over and offer the hand of friendship means a lot. It made me feel a whole lot better.”

As Jim left the meeting, Mills eyes welled up with tears at the incredible thought of these two men righting the wrongs. “If they could only see us now,” he said.

The number of years between the event and the forgiveness, 33, doesn’t seem like a coincidence to me. It’s the age Jesus was when he laid down his life so that each of us could have the same dramatic pardon, so matter what our offense—no matter who we’ve stomped in the face or been two faced with.

It’s interesting to note that the person who initiated this meeting between Mills and Greengrass was the one offended, the one who had forgiveness to offer. Maybe Greengrass remembered the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:12-15:

“Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others…In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can't get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others. If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God's part" (The Message).

Are you cutting yourself off from God’s forgiveness because you refuse to forgive? Let God help you cross that ocean, stretch out your hand to someone who needs your pardon, and give people a reason to say “Would you look at them now!!” You’ll both feel a whole lot better.

Citation: Wheeler, Chris. “Mills granted the stamp of forgiveness by Kiwi Greengrass after 33 years.” Mail Online. 20 Jun. 2008. 28 Jun. 2008. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/article-1028087/Mills-granted-stamp-forgiveness-Kiwi-Greengrass-33-years.html>

(Note: Please forgive the long break that I never meant to take from writing a weekly column. The end of a school year teaching seniors is always crazy, and recovering from that end took longer than I expected. and...and...and...)

"'Winging It" from Stan Smith

Washed by the Water of the Word