It was just like any other morning. I was getting dressed for work,
listening to the news when Bam! I was “teleported” back 18 years – ok, I was
taken back emotionally, but not physically. I heard the name “Andrew Cook” and
the words lethal injection and the tears began welling up in my eyes.
You see, as a junior in college, I was excited about returning to campus
to see all my friends. My anticipation was short-lived. Once I arrived on
campus, I knew that something was horribly wrong. I learned that two of my
friends had been brutally murdered the night before. In that moment, all my
idealism about the world flew out the window.
For months, I was consumed with anger. How could someone so ruthlessly
slaughter my friends? Andrew confessed, and said that he did not know my
friends. He said that it was like something snapped inside of him. Well, in the
days after their murders, something snapped in me! My grades dropped; I cried A
LOT! Rage seethed inside of me.
It took me years to get to a place where I could forgive this man I’ve
never met. While I abhor what he did, I have forgiven him. I realized that my
unforgiveness didn’t bother him one bit – he doesn’t even know me. Holding on
to my bitterness was only hurting me. It was like I had drunk poison, expecting
him to die.
Poison. Death. The morning news. It was announced today that this man
who took the lives of my precious friends will die by lethal injection this
Thursday. Eighteen years he’s had to live with himself, and now he will die for
his crime. My heart stirs with mixed emotions at this news. I pray for the
families of Michele and Grant who seek justice. I pray for Andrew’s family who
are losing a son. The merciless killings left behind a stream of broken hearts
and pain.
Unfortunately, there are times when life just doesn’t make sense. Times
when the pain threatens to suffocate us. I have learned that in all things, God
is a good God, in a world that is not. During times of intense pain and
confusion, we have to cling to him!
