People Of The Year
On October 2, 2006, Charles Roberts IV did the unthinkable. He left his job as a milk truck driver and drove to an Amish school house. He shot 10 little girls before turning the gun on himself. Five of those girls died. Naomi Rose Ebersol age 7; Narian Stoltzfus Fisher age 13; Anna Mae Stoltzfus age 12; Lena Zock Miller age 7; and Mary Liz Miller age 8; all killed by a troubled man.
This event made absolutely no sense. I guess these things never do. Mr. Roberts had a wife and three children. He had a steady job. He left 4 suicide notes. No one expected him to do what he did. He mentioned in one note that he molested two of his cousins when he was a child himself. However, neither cousin said it happened. This was truly a troubled individual who needed a great deal of help. However, he didn't receive any. His life ended in a great deal of tragedy. He took the lives of 5 beautiful girls. The day it happened I hugged my two girls a little longer than usual.
I will be honest with you, I do not appreciate the Amish lifestyle, and I disagree with their doctrines. However, I am going to name the community of Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania as my people of the year.
The press spent a lot of time writing about the shooting, but they spent very little time reporting on the response. After this great tragedy, the Amish community responded with pure forgiveness. The elders of the community made it clear that they will not speak evil of Mr. Roberts. They offered forgiveness without waiting for an apology. They beautifully expressed the love of Jesus to all who watched.
According to reports, there were 75 people at Charles Roberts IV funeral. Over half of them came from the Amish community. The Amish mourned with Mrs. Roberts and showed her support that she was truly needing. I am sure there was never a person any lonelier than Mrs. Roberts was that day. She needed to see love. She received more than she thought possible.
We all could learn a lesson from the Nickel Mines Amish community. All of us have had bad things happen to us. If we refuse to forgive then we are held hostage to our anger. We basically allow the event to happen to us again every time we think about it. If we learn to forgive, we will be free of our hurt. If we fail to forgive we will fall victim to our grudges. Forgiveness is a basic Christian teaching. It is a difficult thing to do. Nevertheless, it is what we must do if we desire to be obedient to the Master.
This event made absolutely no sense. I guess these things never do. Mr. Roberts had a wife and three children. He had a steady job. He left 4 suicide notes. No one expected him to do what he did. He mentioned in one note that he molested two of his cousins when he was a child himself. However, neither cousin said it happened. This was truly a troubled individual who needed a great deal of help. However, he didn't receive any. His life ended in a great deal of tragedy. He took the lives of 5 beautiful girls. The day it happened I hugged my two girls a little longer than usual.
I will be honest with you, I do not appreciate the Amish lifestyle, and I disagree with their doctrines. However, I am going to name the community of Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania as my people of the year.
The press spent a lot of time writing about the shooting, but they spent very little time reporting on the response. After this great tragedy, the Amish community responded with pure forgiveness. The elders of the community made it clear that they will not speak evil of Mr. Roberts. They offered forgiveness without waiting for an apology. They beautifully expressed the love of Jesus to all who watched.
According to reports, there were 75 people at Charles Roberts IV funeral. Over half of them came from the Amish community. The Amish mourned with Mrs. Roberts and showed her support that she was truly needing. I am sure there was never a person any lonelier than Mrs. Roberts was that day. She needed to see love. She received more than she thought possible.
We all could learn a lesson from the Nickel Mines Amish community. All of us have had bad things happen to us. If we refuse to forgive then we are held hostage to our anger. We basically allow the event to happen to us again every time we think about it. If we learn to forgive, we will be free of our hurt. If we fail to forgive we will fall victim to our grudges. Forgiveness is a basic Christian teaching. It is a difficult thing to do. Nevertheless, it is what we must do if we desire to be obedient to the Master.
posted by Foundes Community Church @ 5:53 PM
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