"Shoot me first."
Thirteen-year old Marian Fisher hoped to buy time for her younger schoolmates and offered her own life to give them a chance.
Her 11-year old sister - who survived - asked to be shot second.
Some experts had been concerned that the Amish schoolchildren, so sheltered from TV violence, would be ill-equipped to handle the unspeakable experience of the Nickel Mines shooting.
It would appear that prolonged exposure to goodness is a more effective preparation to face evil than exposure to simulated violence.
[Update] A fuller report
Hat tip to the Anchoress.
Technorati tags: Amish, Nickel Mines
2 hours ago
5 comments:
No doubt there will be many who will blame God for allowing this tragedy to happen. I am not sure how to respond in a meaningful way to these people. But, I do feel that God is indeed using the self sacrificing love demonstrated by these children and the spirit of forgiveness offered by the Amish community to the family of the perpetrator of this horrendous crime to give the rest of us hope and assurance that good does indeed overcome evil.
These children that died are in the loving, comforting arms of Jesus right now. All of our hearts ache for this loss. Everyone grieves for their family's. And, deep down inside our souls, every Christian understands the willingness to step up and be the first to die for our brothers and sisters. We hope that if our faith were ever to be tested like these little girls that we would have faith like theirs.
The Amish faith is remarkable. They don’t just preach love, forgiveness and peace like most Christians (including myself) do – they practice it. It’s exceedingly difficult to harbor hate and seek retribution when you do not hold anger in your heart. And when you think about it, the weight of a hate-filled heart is indeed very heavy and the infinite desire for vengeance can be asphyxiating. All that rage is detrimental to one’s health and happiness, usually leading to self-destruction. But a heart and mind at peace? There’s probably nothing more liberating to the human soul.
The more I read about angry, violent, hate-related incidences around the world, the more I understand why the Amish choose to isolate themselves from the rest of the ‘modern’ world and live a quiet existence. Perhaps the rest of us can learn something from these noble and selfless children.
I think the Amish are finding it more and more difficult to isolate themselves. Up until now, I've thought it foolish to even try. Now I'm questioning that assumption. There is obviously more value in it than I thought. Not that I'm about to give up my computer any time soon...
Wow.
I hadn't heard about that, but hearing about it now just makes me shiver. Would I have the courage to do the same as that 13-year-old girl?
I doubt it. May God give me the courage when I need it.
Carradee, we never know till we're tested, do we? Sometimes the most unlikely people are the ones who show the greatest courage.
If you haven't read The Hiding Place, I highly recommend it for an inspiring example of that kind of radiant courage and love coming from people who, on the surface, were completely unremarkable.
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