The Sunday sermon is ‘‘Forgive Your Enemies’’. Towards the end of the service, the preacher asks his congregation, ‘‘How many of you have forgiven your enemies?’’
About half hold up their hands. This is not good enough, and he begins to implore them, in the name of Christ, to make a public commitment to forgive their enemies right here and now. One by one – HALLELUJAH! – more hands came up, until finally there is only one small elderly lady who remains with her hands in her lap.
‘‘Mrs Jones?’’ asks the preacher. ‘‘Are you not willing to forgive your enemies?’’
‘‘I don’t have any,’’ she replies, smiling sweetly.
‘‘Mrs Jones, that is very unusual. How old are you?’’
‘‘Ninety-three,’’ she replies.
‘‘Oh, Mrs Jones, what a blessing and a lesson to us all you are. Would you please come down in front of this congregation and tell us all how a person can live to 93 years and not have an enemy in the world?’’
The little sweetheart of a lady totters down the aisle, faces the congregation, and says in a suddenly strong voice:
‘‘I outlived the bitches.’’
