ABC News shared a video Monday of a great transformation as cameras followed Michael Kent to a tattoo parlor, where evidence of his neo-Nazi past was erased. 

The motivation behind this change? His black probation officer — and now friend — Tiffany Whittier.

“I was apart of a skinhead group, a very violent group,” the Colorado man told ABC. His first tattoo spelled “White Pride.” Later his ink included two swastikas. The video released Monday shows tattoo artists covering up the symbols of hate. 

Kent recalled how Whittier encouraged him to replace the swastika flag hanging in his home with smiley faces. He did. He changed. And the rest of us can, too.

You Can Change

“If you have a strong support system and you have people that believe in you in a positive way, you can change,” he said, adding that Whittier “gave me the strength and the courage to do what I’m doing.” 

As for Whittier? She never thought she’d see Kent turn his life around, she told ABC News. And yet thanks to her positive presence in his life, he’s a different person.

What’s special about Whittier? She would have been completely justified in keeping Kent at arm’s length. She had to do her duty as his probation office, but she didn’t need to invest any more of herself than that in a man like Michael Kent.

After all, he was a violent white supremacist — an ugly reality to which his body itself testified. There were the swastikas for everyone to see. She couldn’t miss the evidence that he hated people like her.

As Kent says, “She gave me a chance and it opened my eyes.”

Give the Wicked a Chance

What would happen if we gave our opponents a chance — even those who seem wicked beyond repair? What if we loved our enemies the way Jesus tells us to?

That’s what Whittier did, and what Daryl Davis does, too. Earlier this month The Stream’s Nancy Flory reported his story. A black musician, Davis has convinced over 200 racists to leave the Ku Klux Klan.

How? How could anyone change people so formed by hatred? He did it by talking with them. Now Davis collects the hoods of ex-KKK members, many of whom have become his friends.

What might happen if more people decided to listen to each other? Surprising, amazing things.

Several days ago Trump supporters gathered for a rally in Washington, D.C. A Black Lives Matter group showed up to stage a counter demonstration. In a surprise twist, Trump rally organizer Tommy Hodges invited them on stage to share their concerns.

Afterward, Black Lives Matter leader Hawk Newsome spoke with some Trump supporters one on one. “I feel like two sides that never listen to each other actually made progress today,” he said. 

Recently, conservative philanthropist Foster Friess encouraged people to have coffee with someone they disagreed with. Leading by example, the Trump supporter invited Trump opponent, Democratic Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal to coffee. The Missouri state senator had sparked a firestorm last month when she wished for the president’s assassination on Facebook. (She later apologized.)

After attending church and grabbing coffee together, Friess and Nadal said they found some political common ground. And they had a great time.

To Turn The Other Cheek, You Have to Get Slapped

What if, instead of fighting back, we invited our opponent to talk? What if, like Whittier, Davis, Hodges, Newsome and Friess, we gave our enemies a chance?

You may doubt they’ll do the same back toward you, but that doesn’t matter. Consider these two Bible verses:

But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. (Matthew 5:39)

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. (Proverbs 15:1)

We can’t turn the other cheek unless we first get slapped. We can’t give a soft answer unless we have someone — who has likely displayed wrath — to respond to.

Of course, the Golden Rule says it all: “And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.” (Luke 6:31)

We’d be happy if our opponents respected us for a change. If they assumed the best instead of the worst. Actually listened to what we’re saying. We wish they would give us that courtesy. But they usually don’t.

So what? When they don’t, we’re handed the perfect opportunity to follow the spiritual imperatives above. Doing so may not earn you many points in tit for tat. But it could change a life.

Ex-neo-Nazi removes swastika tattoos after befriending African-American parole officer: “I look at her as family.” https://t.co/qOL7PNfHfP pic.twitter.com/WxCSEz4C7f

— ABC News (@ABC) September 25, 2017