An Eye for an Eye

It's stories like this that make me have trouble with forgiveness. The story is about a young man in our area who is cognitively disabled. Over the weekend he was lured into a car BY ADULTS, and brought to a remote area in the woods where he was tortured and beaten, burned with lighters, and left for dead.

How can a person forgive monsters like these? Do you think Justin can forgive them? Do you think Justin's mother and other family members can forgive them? If they're capable of that, they are much bigger people than I. I know that I haven't forgiven the woman who assaulted Angela in school last year. No, instead I'd like to plaster her name all over the news, and make sure every human resources person in every school district in the state of Minnesota has her name so she never works with a vulnerable student again.

One of the men who assaulted Justin is 33 years old, and works in a program for disabled teens and adults. He helps them get ready for school and work, gets them to and from, and cares for them when they return home each day. His employer states he's a quiet guy. I say he's a snake, lying in wait for a victim to cross his path. The others are vultures, seeking to prey on those who are vulnerable so they can satisfy the sick cravings they have for torture and control.

I say, an eye for an eye.

For now, I pray for emotional and physical healing for Justin. That the vision in his damaged eye returns to normal, his kidneys begin to function as they're supposed to, and that somehow, by the grace of God, his fears can be forever wiped away.