How the Mother of the Amish School Shooter has Found Healing amid Such Sadness

Aimee Herd : Feb 17, 2016
Christian Today

"God's goodness is in the eye of the beholder. Bitterness and anger are worse than any cancer, eating away at our souls. Even in hardship, praising God for His provision changes our perspective, granting grace for the 'next step.'"

It seems the horror of school shootings has affected every walk of life, and when these tragedies occur, it's not only the children lost, and their parents for which my heart grieves, but also for the parents of the shooter. (Photo: Reuters/Mark Makela)

In 2006, the quiet lives of the Amish community of Pilkington, Pennsylvania were shattered when a man named Charlie Roberts entered a one-room schoolhouse, ultimately shooting 10 girls and then taking his own life.

Terri Roberts, Charlie's mother, spoke with Christian Today, recently, explaining how she had gone from "buckets of tears" to finding "joy in the midst of tragedy."

The healing actually began the day of the shooting in the form of a visit from Terri and her husband Chuck's Amish neighbor, Henry. Here is an excerpt from the interview with Terri in Christian Today:

"Henry's visit that first afternoon was the beginning of many acts of grace from the Amish community. He ministered to my husband that day, massaging his shoulders and listening to Chuck repeat, "those poor parents, those poor children, we will need to move far away from our Amish neighbors..." Henry gently insisted that the community wanted us to stay, that what our son had done would not alter our friendship. Witnessing this, something in my spirit spoke to me that someday, eventually, we would heal. I refer to Henry as my "angel in black" because the Amish dress in black pants [trousers] and jackets."

When asked how Terri and her husband learned to accept what had happened and to forgive themselves, she noted the nights of "self-incrimination and doubt," of which she found therapeutic to journal. And Terri cited the wise words from a friend who told her, "If you have a child that has done everything right and turned out perfect in every way, you cannot take all the credit because that child has made choices on their own. Likewise, if you have a child that has made some very wrong choices, you cannot take all the blame because they have made choices on their own."

Terri also pointed out the godly way in which the Amish community responded to her family: (Photo: Reuters/Mark Makela)

"The Amish community from Nickel Mines displayed true Christ-like love and compassion, setting a precedent for others to emulate. The press even diverted attention from the horror of the situation to their completely unexpected response of forgiveness... [The Amish] attended our son's burial by surrounding us and protecting us from the media cameras out on the road. The first parents to greet us that day had lost two daughters at the hand of our son. They asked how we were doing, putting their own need behind them to reach out to us.

"Chuck and I started visiting all of the families... and our friendships blossomed. The loving atmosphere was incredible, demonstrating how, even through the hardest of situations, we can surrender our angst and discover peace and joy..."

Read this entire moving interview by clicking here.