Most of the world now knows that after Brian Nichol’s shooting spree in a downtown Atlanta Court House last week, he fled, finally forcing himself into the apartment of Ashley Smith north of Atlanta. Throughout, Smith kept her cool in a unbelievable manner. She is as unassuming as she appears in this photo.
I listened to Smith being interviewed about the ordeal and how she views Nichols. There’s something about treating even the most despicable person with respect, and even trying to give him hope, that is both touching and gripping in this MSNBC interview where Smith explains what happened.
The Apostle Paul says we should love our enemies. Loving our enemies, in part, reveals the way God is. God is merciful.
I thought of the following verses, after I listened to Ashley Smith talk about how she viewed Nichols as a person who needed love, not hate, in spite of his making horrific decisions:
“He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). “He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities” (Psalm 103:10). “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).
Smith in her mercy showed Nichols something of what God is like.
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