A man from Philadelphia shares his testimony of forgiveness after a man stabbed him in the gut in front of his children.

Bret Lynn recalls the event with Faithwire/CBN in a recent interview. 

"Seven years ago I was stabbed. It was around six o'clock in the evening and I was coming home from picking my kids up from gymnastics."

Lynn owns a mechanic shop in Philadelphia.

"When I looked to my shop, I saw somebody who was looking in windows of different cars."

It turns out Lynn had actually gone to the same high school as this person, just ten years previous. 

"At that point, I confronted the guy and told him to get lost. He got really angry and I was thinking I was going to get in a fight. I was expecting a punch."

Little did Lynn know the man had a knife on him. 

"He stabbed me right in the gut. I felt like he just punched me and then ran away. When I felt down to my side where he stabbed me, I could feel part of my intestines sticking out."

Although many years have passed, he hasn't forgotten what it felt like physically.

He says, "The pain was so intense. It was the first time I really wanted to be dead from pain."

Even so, Lynn's forgiveness didn't start months later, but almost immediately.

"When I was in the ambulance, I remember thinking about how I really want to resolve this conflict that I had with this guy. I really wanted to forgive him."

After the incident, Lynn went to a hearing for the man who stabbed him and was able to make a statement. 

"I was told that I wasn't allowed to specifically address him. Graciously the judge allowed me. I essentially told him I don't want him to be in prison any longer than the state deems necessary. It ought not be on account of me."

Lynn addressed the court afterward, saying, "The reason I'm forgiving this guy is because Christ has forgiven me for so much more."

He says, "If I couldn't forgive when it really mattered, I think my witness as a Christian would be hurt."

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