Forgiveness

Yesterday, Casey Anthony, a young mother accused of murdering her small child, was acquitted of the more serious charges she was facing (murder, child neglect, manslaughter). It's possible that soon she will be free, and while many of the facts of the case are troubling to me, I don't agree with the people who are condemning her to hell and making comments that she should be killed, etc. It occured to me yesterday that we're supposed to behave in a better manner than that. While it's okay to rebuke (and Jesus tells us to do this when a wrong has happened) I don't believe it's okay to then pick up stones and begin hurling them at the accused. Tempting as this might be to some, the Bible clearly tells us that this is not the way to go. Most of us have never been accused of murder, but are we all really innocent of wrongdoing entirely? And who of us is in a position to state what's God's stance in all of this is?

As I engaged in my workout this morning, the news programs flashed pictures of Casey, of her tears upon being acquitted, the smiles of her attorneys, her parents silently exiting the courtroom without approaching their daughter. I began thinking about what God's hand in all of this might be, how He could take a bad situation such as this and turn it around. I was struck with an idea that will probably be unpopular, but seems plausible in light of the idea that God is great and has a plan for each of us. Assuming that Casey is, in some way, guilty of her daughter's death (she was deemed not guilty by a jury of her peers, and maybe Caylee's death was an accident of some kind, but something seems fishy to me), could it be that God gave her another chance because there is something in this life that she needs to do? I'd like to think so. I'd love to believe that in the midst of tragedy, God has an option for her, one that will lead her to forgiveness and into a life of meaning. Looking at the images of Casey's past life flashed across the television, it's not difficult to understand that her former life was one of emptiness: drunken parties and meaningless sexual encounters, shopping sprees and careless afternoons and many many lies told to cover up the person she really was inside. It seems this woman has tried nearly every vice possible attempting to fill that void within her which can only be filled to satisfaction by God.

I pray for Casey that when she leaves the cold, sad jail she's called home for the past three years she will lift her eyes to the heavens and plead for God's help and direction. I pray that her main focus will be to shift her hurtful life into one of service to others, to be open to what God has planned for her. Being released from jail does not mean she's absolved of sin. But it might mean she's been given a chance at absolution, that her life can take on new meaning, that she's been saved to do the work she was supposed to be beginning when she embarked on a life of partying and nothingness.

Maybe, as we're lifting up prayers for little Caylee's spirit to be at peace with God, we should also raise a few for her misguided mother. Those prayers, combined with a faith that God knows what He is doing and will find a way to right this situation, might be the ones that actually help to prevent future tragedy.