Love Builds Bridges

On Tuesday, November 15, 2005, Jeff Schrock was driving his five children to pickup their mother, Carolyn, when their pickup truck was hit by another driver going the opposite way. Jeffrey was badly injured, but all five of the children - ages twelve, ten, nine, five, and two - were killed, Carolyn Schrock, pregnant with the couple's sixth child, visited the other driver in the hospital to express the family's forgiveness. A newspaper account summarized her sentiments: "Love builds bridges; hate digs chasms."

Some reading the account of the Schrock family's loss might wonder, "Aren't there human limits to forgiveness? Losing five children is pushing that limit." Yes, there probably are human limits to grace and forgiveness. But the Schrock family was not drawing on human resources.

Turning Points

Page 32

March 2006