How Great Evil Birthed Great Good

This is the story of two families, each of which faced one of the most traumatic events humans may ever face--death while in the prime of life. They each were able to deal with the trauma in very different and unexpected ways. The key in both their ability to cope was the choice to willingly forgive those who grievously harmed them and, eventually, were able to put their lives together again. Forgiveness, love, family, and determination to follow the Scriptures were critical in each emotional scenario. - A central part of the story is both families’ involvement in the criminal justice system. Forced to navigate the system’s often unfeeling and impersonal bureaucracy, their survival depended on their inner strength and relentless pursuit of understanding others. The story allows the reader to gain much insight and understanding of the criminal justice system by vicariously experiencing its impact on the lives of those featured in each narrative. - The novel brings the reader into the lives of, first, a young woman forced into making life-or-death decisions. This woman is faced with the worst day in her life as she meets evil forced on her at gunpoint. She then has to deal with the results of this day which will change her life forever in several unexpected ways. Her friends convey to her that rape fully justifies aborting the child, a view she struggles with. The tactful guidance by her pastor effectively helps her sort out the many difficult issues involved in her not-all-that-unique situation. Her co-workers, and even some Christian friends, strongly encourage her, an unmarried woman, not to keep the product that resulted from that horrible night. She finds that by following the Scriptures, even those which go against the common solution her friends pressed on her, is best in the long run. By holding to her convictions she was blessed beyond her wildest expectations. This story that both inspires and teaches, was written by an experienced therapist who also in his career worked in a large penitentiary in Jackson, Michigan. The story takes the reader through, not only the psychology of evil, but also provides an inside view of crime and justice as it navigates through our imperfect criminal justice system. - The story of her friend involves a young man who has so much going for him, a beautiful wife and two children, wealth and status, but who, in the end, faces the loss of everything he has worked to achieve for most of his life, both materially and relationally. It is about how a father deals with the loss of his wife and children. The support of others is critical in helping him deal with his traumatic loss, one that is the worst that one might imagine possible in this life. This account, likewise, not only gives the reader insight into evil, but also provides an insider’s view of crime and justice as the novel takes the reader through the criminal justice system. The surprise ending reinforces not only the wisdom of the Scriptures, but the importance of effectively resolving in one’s mind the injustice one faces and, yet, still endeavoring to move forward. An important lesson in both stories is forgiveness and realizing that God says “to me belongeth vengeance” (Deuteronomy 32:35 KJV). Both true stories feature fallible Christians, who like all of us, must work out extreme life-changing tragedies that human beings experience in their lifetime. It is often said that experience is the best teacher, but it is not the most economical way of learning. Experiences of others, if one chooses to take advantage of their insight is, in the long run, a far less painful way of learning. When faced with life’s contingencies, understanding how others dealt with similar life experiences is a very important and very effective way of navigating the path through life with the least amount of harm to self and others. This engaging and inspiring story provides much insight into weathering some of the most difficult storms that life today can put into our path. Almost all of us encounter terrifying ordeals at some time in our life, but the differences in our ability to cope is not so much the severity of the events that we face, but how well we are able to deal with those adverse events. In both families, a Christian worldview was central to their success in surviving, and eventually in coming out of their experiences, not only as better persons, but also as more mature Christians.