I’m reading the book “Amish Grace”. It’s about the Amish peoples’ response to the shooting of ten schoolgirls at the the Nickel Mines School on Pennsylvania in 2006.
The book tells about how the Amish people almost immediately forgave the shooter. They supported his family. They sent food to his family. They attended his funeral. They donated money to his widow. Granting forgiveness was a natural action for them. It was not an option, just a normal part of living for the Amish.
A father of one of the girls who had been killed stated “ Our forgiveness is not in our words, it’s in our actions; it’s not what we said, but what we did. That was our forgiveness.” Forgiveness is an integral part of the Amish culture.
One Amish man quoted a sign seen on a church and said we try to “preach the gospel, and if necessary, use words.”
Do our lives reflect this kind of forgiveness? Am I guilty of holding a grudge? Is there someone I need to forgive?
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