Forgiveness

Good morning everyone. Life is great and God is good. Amen?

I was thinking today about what I could write about and really don't have much to say. Unbelievable if you know me. I could talk your ear off if you would let me but not about much that is important. However when I came on this morning i read the Motivation for moms and saw this

Handle bullies by sitting down with your child and explaining forgiveness. Teach
them how to pray for those who persecute us.

Isn't this how we all should be? I sit here and think about the tragedy that happened at Virgina Tech yesterday and wander why things like this happen. I was talking to my mom yesterday and I asked her why people couldn't use their fist like in the old days instead of guns to solve their problems. Then I read the above and thought, you know God doesn't want us to use our fist, he wants us to forgive. He wants us to be peaceful and not raise our hands to others. When tragedy strikes like at VT he wants us to forgive the man who did this. He wants us to show the world that while we might not agree with the man and how he handled himself, that it's not up to us to cast judgement on him but to forgive him. It may be easier to do now that he took his own life but even if he hadn't we should still forgive. It doesn't mean that we should forget what happen and learn from it, just as the school officials are doing right now, learning how to better communicate with the students when something like this happens.

We also need to pray for the family of the man that did this, pray for the victims and their families and all those that have been effected by this senseless tragedy. Just like the Amish forgave and moved on after losing 5 of their own in October.

How something can touch your life

October 2, 2006 started out like any other normal day for most people in south central PA. It was a beautiful, sunny day nothing out of the ordinary about it.

That is nothing out of the ordinary until approx 10:45 am when a 32 year old man from Bart PA entered a one room Amish school house and proceeded to tie up 10 girls ranging in age from 6-13. This man Charles Carl Roberts IV seemed like a normal, average father of 4, one of whom was born and died on a November day in 1997. He was a milk tanker truck driver who picked up milk from several Amish farms in rural Lancaster County. This man changed a lot of peoples lives that day, not just the Amish or the first responders or police who showed up that fateful morning but he also changed mine.

That morning, I couldn't even tell you what I had been doing, I don't even remember what I had been doing when I heard the news that some man shot to death 5 young Amish girls and severely injured 5 others. I do know that the way the Amish community and those in the Lancaster, Lebanon, and Berks county communities responded that day and the days afterward changed how I think about things.

I have always been intrigued by the Amish. I grew up where there were a few Amish in nearby communities but it wasn't until I moved to Lebanon County PA that I really grew to love them. I've read numerous books from various authors about the Amish and really feel like I know them. Most days when I leave my house to go somewhere, I pass a horse and buggy driving and my 3 yo loves to see the horse and buggies.

But that day in October really showed to me what the Amish are really like. They are forgiving and are truly God fearing people. These people felt a lost that I never want to feel, one that I don't know that I could cope with but they faced it like a true Christian. One that knows that God expects us to forgive and to help others. They understand that their loved one will be in Heaven waiting for them one day. They understand that they need to forgive to move on with their own lives and that's just what they did.

Last night on TLC, there was a special on this horrible disaster and it really touched me. I've seen all the news footage on this but to see it all combined like this was really amazing.

75 Amish people attended the funeral of Charlie and have lent their support to his wife and their kids. Do I think I could do that if someone were to kill my child? No, but knowing that someone else has been there makes a difference.

Bruce Becker is a local artist here in PA that was in the process of painting an Amish school bell when he heard about the shooting and he chose to use that painting to bring closure to many. He teamed up with a local radio station who found a printer who made up prints for this free of charge to hand out to anyone that wanted one. They had such a response that they had to have more printed up.

Here is a link to the picture of the bell: http://www.bart51.com/datafiles/Bell.JPG