October 16th, 2006

The Amish Tragedy

I am overwhelmed with the compassion and forgiveness of the Amish. Here’s this man Charlie Roberts who just murdered five young Amish girls in their one-room schoolhouse and this community of men, women, and children have already forgiven him and in People Magazine, one source stated that several of the parents of some of the murdered girls have personally approached Marie, Charlie Roberts’s wife to offer their forgiveness! Amazing! We are talking heartfelt forgiveness. The victim’s families insisted on establishing a fund for the killer’s wife and 3 children and several dozen Amish people asked the Roberts family if they could attend the burial service for Charlie Roberts! From all reports the Amish start learning the lesson of forgiveness at an early age and with the Amish faith the dead are truly in a better place. Oh my gosh a lot can be learned from these people, most of us when we lose someone we only think of ourselves and how we miss them and how our lives are going to be affected by their death, the Amish however acknowledge their love for the deceased but know that that person is in a better place and they don’t wallow in their own pain. We live in a society that is so self-absorbed we miss the gifts of our own soul to think of others and do for others instead of worrying if you have the latest style of clothing, video game, car or other silly gadget. For those of us that are Christians we could REALLY learn a thing or two from the Amish, they truly trust in God and know the sun will rise again based on God’s will. There will always be people in this world that will disappoint you or wrong you but freeing yourself (like the Amish do) from the evil anger that can consume you will give you a sense of peace and the strength to move forward and that my friend makes this... A Wonderful Life!

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