There is a contrast as wide as the Grand Canyon on display in Ohio.  On one side of the canyon wall is the murderous act of  T.J. Lane in which he took the lives of his fellow students.  Far away on the other side of the canyon, are distraught families who are overcome with grief.

There is a bridge that joins the two sides.  It is an amazing act of forgiveness that reaches out  from a heart full of anguish and agony.  Phyllis Ferguson, mother of 16 year old Demetrius Hewlin, has issued a statement saying she has already forgiven Lane’s murderous act.

Mrs. Ferguson has said:  You have to forgive everything. God’s grace is new each and every day. Until you’ve walked in another person’s shoes, you don’t know what made him come to this point.

When I read stories like this, I’m reminded of the words Jesus spoke from the cross:  Father, forgive them; they know not what they do.

Whenever there are discussions of T.J. Lane, I hope the repercussions of Mrs. Ferguson’s forgiveness will also be remembered.