“Forgive those who do you wrong just as He forgives us -freely and fully.” ~Matthew 6:14-15
On that fateful autumn morning, the young kindergarten
teacher’s spirits soared beyond the colorful boughs defining the Georgian
landscape. Brilliant shafts of sunlight caressed scarlet and gold foliage laid
out like a carpet for royals.
She and her family were
on their way to Callaway Gardens, where Sandra would run her first 10K race. Her
anticipation surged. Each breath of the fresh air made her want to shout aloud,
just to hear her voice echo as dreamed of racing among the trees.
One moment the road was
there, wide open and safe. And in the next, there were screeching brakes,
deafening noises, and pain that Sandra may not recover from.
She’d learn days later
that an oncoming vehicle crossed the center line and hit their van head-on
causing it to flip onto its roof. Eight people were hospitalized after the crash,
including her husband Glen who was taken to a hospital but later removed from
life support.
Tammy Matthews, the
van’s driver, was uninjured. Her 16-year-old son, Joshua, died at the scene.
Sandra suffered a life-threatening
brain injury which changed her life. She had to re-learn how to walk, talk, and
take care of herself and two young children without her life partner. Her
injuries left her unable to work or live independently.
Matthews pleaded
guilty to vehicular homicide. She tearfully apologized to Sandra and the entire
Walker family during the sentencing phase of her court appearance.
The enormity of her
tears flowed as if the soul could bleed an ocean through the eyes.
Tammy composed herself, then addressed the accused woman. “I
know you’re going through as much pain as I am. I forgive you,” she said,
before approaching Mathews with a warm embrace.
Rather than feeling
bitterness, Tammy encouraged the court not to sentence Matthews to prison time.
She received a sentence of 36 months of probation and 500 hours of community
service, that “should include acts that honor the lives of her son and Glen
Walker.
We may never have to
face a challenge to forgive something this great, but we all face regular
opportunities to choose forgiveness over anger and bitterness. Forgiveness doesn’t
mean that the offender was right or justified, or that the behavior will be
allowed to continue. Instead, it admits no retaliation, no attempt to get even,
and no bringing up the offense again.
“Lord, I’m choosing to forgive the way You
have forgiven me. Every time the memory comes back, I’ll forgive that person
again until the pain is gone. Heal my heart with Your grace.” Amen (Rick Warren)
