In this last week the people in our nation have seen a powerful example of good rising up in response to evil. I am, of course, speaking of the killing of the young Amish girls in Pennsylvania.

Their murders are a horrific event. And it is very sad that the person perpetrating these murders chose to act in this manner. 

What caught our attention, however, is the response of the Amish community. The violent deaths of these young women struck deeply in the heart of a people who are committed to a life of non-violence. Indeed, this act of violence challenged the principles by which the Amish community lives its life. Theirs is a community that actively practices orgiveness when offended by the actions of another. And in this moment of death they had to decide once again as individuals and as a community how they would be true to their principles. But it was an easy decision or them to make, for they know that forgiveness
is a daily activity, not one that arises in extraordinary circumstances. Their obedience to God demands that they forgive all offenses, all offenders.

It is interesting that the media have focused on the Amish and their practice of forgiveness and reconciliation. I suspect this is so because it is so because our human nature is such that when we are offended or in some way harmed we usually seek to retaliate for the pain, the injustice, or perhaps just the embarrassment that has come our way. Yes, the behavior of the Amish community in response to this great evil might surprise us, for we know in our hearts that such a tragedy visited upon us would quite possibly illicit a very different response. 

We ought not, however, be surprised, for these are a people who live a life of forgiveness. A mainstay for their daily living is the call to forgive. They take to heart the biblical injunction, "Judge not, lest you be judged." They are acutely aware that the ultimate judgment of our lives rests with God. And so the Amish live forgiveness day in and day out because they know deep within themselves that they need God's forgiveness day in and day out. They know they are dependent upon God's grace and mercy.

Now the reality is that you and I have the same needs. But we have been seduced by the notion that we can control things, that we can dominate evil with power, that it is our strength that keeps us safe from violence. And therefore we too often live as thought we have no need for forgiveness or reconciliation.
We have it in our heads that by our own strength we can keep evil at arms length, and so we are puzzled when others talk about forgiveness and reconciliation.

For my part, I can only wish and pray that as our journey through life continues we might discover that our strength lies in our weakness, that forgiveness leads to hope and deep abiding relationships that surpass our imagination. The Amish have a lesson to teach us about forgiveness and its power to sustain us in the midst of despair and sadness. Indeed, the tragedy visited upon their community certainly exposes our brokenness, and it presents us with yet another opportunity to reach out in forgiveness and reconciliation to those who have harmed us. I would hope that as we have watched the Amish community respond to this evil we discover new opportunities to shape our own lives so that we can become instruments of forgiveness and healing in this broken world.