Grace Under Pressure
I've been following the story of Ashley Smith,
the young woman who was held hostage by Brian Nichols, who was attempting to
escape from rape and murder charges. Ashley reached out to him as a human being,
fixed him breakfast, told her own story of hurt and disappointment, and in so
doing, helped him to change his life. What gave Ashley the ability to do this?
She was working through the bestselling book, "The Purpose Driven Life," which
is a call to a life based on serving others and in a right relationship with
God. Ashley was evidently working on turning her life around, and got caught by
Brian, and by sharing her experiences and how the book was helping her see the
way to change, she reached Brian with the love of God.
This story amazes and shames me. For
one thing, I've been a Christian believer nearly my entire life, but I cannot
imagine that my response to this situation would have been nearly as
grace-filled as Ashley's. I confess that my fear and my own self-absorption
could all too easily get in the way of my ministering to a Brian, should I ever
have the misfortune to find myself in that kind of situation. Ashley, from the
accounts I read, appears to have only recently started life as a
Christ-follower. It looks like she took the lessons to heart. I am challenged by
this story to do a better job of following. And to pray I never have to face
what Ashley faced...
Posted: Wed - March 23, 2005 at 10:18 AM