Could you forgive the person who shot your son 8 times?

One of the biggest stories to emerge from the Walter Scott shooting in South Carolina has to do with Walter's mother.  

In case you hadn't heard, last Saturday a routine traffic stop led to a scuffle and then shots as Walter Scott ran away from policeman Michael Slager.  Slager fired eight shots as Scott ran through an abandoned lot.  Walter Scott lost his life after being pulled over for a broken taillight.    

Now I understand that nothing is ever that simple.  Great question is why were they wrestling in the midst of all of this.  I am sure both of them contributed to the encounter, but it shouldn't have ended this way.  A man is dead.  A son is gone.  A father is missed.

But the real story is his mother.
When Anderson Cooper interviewed his mother after the incident, I was struck by her faith.

When they asked her about the incident, she obviously showed that she is really grieving.  Cooper asks her about her son and how she feels.  Judy Scott said,  "He was a loving son, a loving father, he cared about his family . . .  No matter what happens it will not replace my son."

When asked if justice will be done she answered,  "I believe in God . . . The God I serve is able . . . God will fix it."

She even alluded to the person who shot the video, calling him the "the ram in the bush."  This is a reference to Abraham who was about to lose his son to a sacrifice.  God provided a ram caught in a thicket.  It is a symbol of God's mercy.  I can't believe that she is even able to see God's mercy in all of this.  I doubt that I could at this point.

I especially love how she models forgiveness.

"I am supposed to be really angry and upset and raging and all that but I can't because of the love of God in me . . . I feel forgiveness in my heart even for the guy who shot and killed my son"

How?

I would probably know mentally that I need to forgive, but there is no way that I could feel forgiveness in my heart.  Not at this stage.  I would want revenge.  I could not be as forgiving.  I am not saying I am right.  She most definitely is an inspiration in her faith.

I just wish since that such a dear, sweet woman didn't have to be the one to show us how it is done.  She doesn't deserve this.


Watch the video here

http://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2015/04/09/ac-sot-walter-scott-mother-sc-police-shooting.cnn-ap