Good Inspiration

On April 20th 1999, my children were five and seven at the time of the Columbine shooting. Their elementary school was the location where students reunited with their parents. Our babysitter hid under a table in the cafeteria for hours until the SWAT team came. She later spoke to schools with the message, where would you be in your faith if that happened to you today? Her calling was just one of the many what God works for good that came from that tragedy.

The community created a network of people wiling to help those in need. From counselors to hall monitors, prayer walks and more, people stepped up and did their part. What God works for good.

Church groups helped with meals. Usually a simple task but delivering meals to those who had lost a child or had an injured child was not simple at all. Many broke down at the sight of us when we came bearing home cooked meals. What God works for good.

A mother whose son was injured started a prevention committee. She didn’t pity herself having a son who would never have the use of his foot. She got involved like the rest of us. What God works for good.

Our good friend was on one of the SWAT teams. He wouldn’t talk about the incident, buried in his heavy heart. Because of his experience he created new strategies and nationwide training for other SWAT teams on how to deal with situations like Columbine. What God works for good.

Our neighbor was in the science room, hiding in a closet with another student and teacher who had been shot, and died during her watch. She had a difficult time recovering from that experience, but became a believer through it all. What God works for good.

The Olympics reminded our country of Columbine when the principal of the school ran with the torch down the street in front of Columbine High School. He is still the principal today. What God works for good.

Count them, seven works for good, the perfect number. One horrific day against an infinity of what Christ is still working for good.

Seven years later the Amish shootings took place. The forgiveness they gave was a lesson to us all. Although there was forgiveness during the Columbine tragedy, the Amish took it to a new level. The mother of the man who shot the Amish still visits one of the girls who lived through the ordeal. She reads to her and takes her swimming every Thursday, even though the girl doesn’t have the use of her legs, and can’t talk. The Amish parents welcome this woman into their home, and they share a meal together.

One of the many good things that came from these experiences is it’s taught me how to realistically weave God into my stories. Faith issues are a common weakness for my characters, even the good ones. The, how could God let this happen, phrase is relatable to readers, so they join in the journey of working through my characters to make the situation into good, which rings true for me. I saw both bitterness and hope at Columbine, I chose hope.

Question: What difficult experiences have inspired your writing?

Forgive AND Forget?

The first Sunday after Christmas our pastor gave a sermon on forgiveness. It was a refreshing twist for me, at a time when I’m usually thinking about all of the New Year’s resolutions I should be making. Some of Pastor Mike’s quotes and stories have stuck with me, which usually means what he said hit home. I sat in the pew not able to think of anyone in particular and focused on the sermon. Then the list came tumbling down on me as I remembered a number of people who had wronged my daughter. It was a dark time in her life due to these people who I had stuffed away in the back of my mind. I made myself look back on that time through God’s eyes. Because the way I had dealt with it made me bitter. A quote from Nelson Mandela summed it up perfectly,

“Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.”

But the really tough one was Mike’s definition of mercy. It was spot-on,

"Mercy is getting what you don’t deserve."

I was defensive at first, thinking of these people getting away with what they did, and then it turned around on me. Who am I not to forgive when I’m a sinner? That little voice went off in my head, which is what I ask the Holy Spirit to do when asking for guidance. But I don’t always want to listen.

On our way to church that Sunday we stopped at Starbucks. To my dismay, the woman in front of me was one of the people who mistreated my daughter. The saying that there are no coincidences with God went through my mind as I stood within inches of this person. I ironically told myself to let it go, forgive and forget, but it seemed cynical after hearing Mike’s sermon only minutes later. Mike talked about why it’s so hard to forgive. These heart-breakers should be punished, not forgiven. But Mike’s response to that was to let God take care of the consequences. Mahatma Gandhi said,

“The weak can’t forgive.”

But what about the emotional pain that we go through? What do we do with that constant reminder? It hurt tremendously when a chunk of windshield glass flew into my shoulder during a car accident. But the pain eventually went away, even though the scar is still there. We heal and hopefully move on. The scar is our badge of honor, for forgiving, even when someone didn’t earn it. Because that someone is also, me.

Mike asked us to make three columns:

-The name of the person to forgive
-What they did
-What you’re going to do

Question: What would your three columns look like?

“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover the prisoner was you.”
Corrie Ten Boom