Courtney Siverling and Michelle Krug faced violence head on. They were two of four U.S. victims in the France acid attack. When finally speaking out about the attack, the two asked people to pray. But not for themselves — for their attacker!
While on a study abroad tour in Europe, a group of Boston College students experienced shocking violence. A mentally unstable woman approached them at a train station in Marseille, spraying the girls with acid.
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Thankfully, the solution of hydrochloric acid used in the France acid attack was a weak one. French authorities rushed all four girls to the hospital, and no one received major injuries, all things considered.
Doctors treated two of the girls for shock, and two suffered facial injuries, one of whom possibly suffered an eye injury as well. But the girls are blessed, considering how serious the damage could have been.
Victims Of France Acid Attack Show Grace
After such a terrifying ordeal, you might expect anger from the girls. But rather than speaking out in hatred toward their attacker, two of the students — Courtney Siverling and Michelle Krug — chose forgiveness. Both young ladies posted gracious statements on their Facebook pages, asking for their friends and family to pray for their attacker.
Courtney wrote,
“I pray that the attacker would be healed from her mental illness in the name of Jesus and receive the forgiveness and salvation that can only come from Him.”
She then went on to quote Psalm 91:2, which says “This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.”
Likewise, Michelle expressed compassion towards the disturbed woman who attacked them.
“Please consider thinking about/praying for our attacker so that she may receive the help she needs and deserves, she wrote on Facebook. “Mental illness is not a choice and should not be villainized.”
Stories like this one catch our attention because such Christ-like grace is not a natural human response to violence. For us, the natural response is to want to retaliate. God Updates
But when God sacrificed His Son four our sins, He gave us the perfect example of grace. Seeing forgiveness in the face of such awful violence is always inspiring. But to see such grace come from such young ladies truly renews our faith in humanity.
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. Matthew 5:43-45
