Witnessing Forgiveness in the Aftermath of the Amish School Shooting

True forgiveness is foreign to those with only a fleeting knowledge of God. In today's society, we use phrases like "forgiven, but not forgotten" to characterize our feelings. This implies that our forgiveness of others is in some way conditional. Wherever the idea of such an attitude came from, it didn't originate with God.

In the wake of the shooting deaths that occurred on Monday, October 2nd in a one room school house in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, people are stunned by the evil that invaded this quiet Amish community. Even more so, people are dazed by the actions of that same Amish community.

In most other areas of the country, by now there would have been a display of public outrage. Community leaders would be asking for justice. Other concerned neighbors would be asking that measures be taken to keep this type of crime from happening again. News stories said that instead of public outrage, there has been public forgiveness. The Amish community has extended the hand of God's forgiveness to the family of Charles Carl Roberts IV, the man who took the lives of their children.

I don't pretend to have all the answers on the subject of forgiveness. An individual's walk with God is intensely personal and based on life experiences. I do know that forgiveness is essential to a life guided by God-forgiveness of self and others.

Forgiveness is not easy or comfortable, but that's where God comes in. We are all human and we make poor choices. Sometimes, those choices result in harm to others or even death. Jesus Christ talked about forgiveness in his Sermon on the Mount in the Book of St. Matthew. To be forgiven for our offenses we must be willing to forgive others. To God, sin is sin. There are no levels within it. Man has created that distinction for himself. When we sin against God, we ask Him to pardon us. When we sin against another, it is their forgiveness we ask for.

In the case of the Amish school shootings, the Amish community offered forgiveness without being asked for it. There are no hard and fast rules about which side must come forward first. The gunman is dead, but he has left others behind as well. The willingness of the families of the victims to offer compassion to the gunman's wife and children opens the way for God to enter the hearts of Roberts' family. Only God could make such a thing happen in this world of ours. In this way, both sides are allowed to grieve without guilt or shame.

Society would say that the Amish community has set a dangerous precedent. If we are quick to forgive those who do these things, they will keep on victimizing people. Look around you. Being outraged and unforgiving hasn't exactly stemmed the flow of crime in this country. The Amish community and those who serve the Lord know something that others don't-the heart of God. Their children knew that death and violence were a part of reality. They also knew that God has a plan and a purpose for each individual life. Those who follow Him will find life after death in His arms.

Forgiveness is not offered lightly. It doesn't stop those who grieve from questioning God. It does, however, take a strong heart and mind to forgive someone who has caused us pain. Forgiveness is not foolish, it is freeing. Those who express it are cradled in the arms of an all-knowing, all-seeing, all-powerful God who knows the depths of their pain as no one else on earth can.