As many of you know, Jodi Arias was found guilty of first-degree murder today in Arizona. No, I do not want to write about the crime or about the trial or about the verdict. I want to write about the aftermath.
I came home from work and turned on the TV. I missed the beginning of the interview, so I do not know which relative of the victim, Travis Alexander, was being interviewed. But, I turned on the TV in time to know that I was listening to a relative and to hear him talk about forgiveness.
He talked about forgiveness in a very calm and rational way. He commented that now that the trial was over, he (and the family) could begin to concentrate on forgiveness. He stated that to be the man that he wished to be, he needed to work on that. He did not look frantic or extreme. He did not raise his voice. He talked calmly about becoming the man he wished to be.
The poor newswoman did not know what to do. I will say that she quickly cut away back to the network. There was nothing for her to hang on to. There was no “rabid” believer to point to. There was a generous man speaking in a gentle way, acknowledging the pain, but going on to say that as a Christian (and, yes, he did say it that way) he needed to concentrate on forgiveness in order to become the man he wanted to be.
I learned from that man. I learned how to give a gentle witness in extremely trying circumstances. I was reminded that one can articulate the Christian faith without using slang terms. I was reminded that our hope is to be united with Christ and to become like him. From what I saw and heard, I think that that relative was well on the way to becoming what he wishes to become.
May all of us be more like him in extremely trying circumstances.
Forgiveness is generally a hard sell. I read an online news article about the verdict and the procedures that come next to determine an appropriate sentence for Jodi Arias, and the commenters were pretty much baying for her blood. That one of Travis Alexander’s relatives can be trying to find his way to forgive Jodi so soon after the verdict is amazingly encouraging. Maybe we’re not all monsters after all.
With the Boston Marathon Bombers, I was hearing stuff straight from the heat of emotion that sounded like the “commenters” had Vlad Tepes and/or Uday ibn Saddam on speed-dial. (As someone who himself has a couple trauma triggers that trigger as rage, I kind of understand this phenomenon.) Considering how high emotions were running, I was surprised when I didn’t hear any mention of “pig farm” during that search for a gravesite to bury the bomber who was killed.