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What's holding you back?

Would You Forgive Him?

Monday, October 2, 2006, was supposed to be another normal day at the Nickel Mines Amish School’s quiet one-room school house in Pennsylvania’s Dutch country. Charles Carl Roberts IV had different plans as he arrived with guns, plastic ties, and other supplies. On that day, five innocent little girls lost their lives at gunpoint, execution style, before the wicked cowardly killer shot himself.

Roberts wrote a note to his wife and three children, confessing he had molested two young cousins 20 years earlier and had dreams of doing it again. Also, he explained how he was mad at God for the loss of his premature daughter (Elise) in 1997. He said anytime the family would have fun he would think about Elise and what she was missing. Roberts said he would become angry and hate God more each time he thought about it.

It was an unthinkable, undeserving, and unwarranted act that took place that cold Monday morning. Of all places, a peaceful and loving community where caring and giving are so abundant. But even more unexplainable was how the Amish parents of those innocent children responded.

The blood from their daughters that lay on the schoolhouse floor was barely dry as they went to the wife of Roberts with love and support. Their quick act to forgive the killer and also help his wife would bring about questions from even the most liberal of minds. The blank check of forgiveness, written from the hearts of the victims, quickly became the primary focus of the event. It was a rare occasion of love, faith, and courage that dominated the media outlets. How could anyone ever be so willing to forgive such a heinous act? How could they be willing to support and even raise money for the killer’s family? How could they not become so angry and hateful? Many answers are involved, from their faith to their culture. We can be assured they had plenty of love in their hearts and they knew the value of forgiveness. The Amish people knew had they not forgiven, they themselves would experience a heart just like the hate-filled killer himself. Bitterness and anger are not discriminatory. Both will quickly fill the space of any unforgiving heart and soul. Had the killer chosen to forgive his past the Amish people could have possibly avoided the need to forgive his present. I will say that in another way. Each time we forgive our past it eliminates anyone having to forgive us in the future. The hate and anger that Roberts had came from his unwillingness to forgive.

 

 Yesterday I answered a knock on the door, only to be confronted by a well-dressed young man carrying a vacuum cleaner. "Good morning," said the young man. "If I could take a couple of minutes of your time, I would like to demonstrate the very latest in high-powered vacuum cleaners." "Go away!" I said. "I haven't got any money!, I'm broke!" and proceeded to close the door. Quick as a flash, the young man wedged his foot in the door and pushed wide open. "Don't be too hasty!" he said. "Not until you have at least seen my demonstration." And with that, he emptied a bucket of horse manure onto my hallway carpet. "If this vacuum cleaner does not remove all traces of this horse manure from your carpet, Sir, I will personally eat the remainder." I stepped back and said, "Well I hope you've got a good appetite, because they cut off my electricity this morning. What part of "broke" do you not understand?