Faith That Forgiveness Is The Answer

A few years back a unassuming milkman walked into an Amish school and killed 5 little girls and wounded 5 more.  The response from the victims families to the milkman's family was one of forgiveness, compassion and caring.  Rather than demand an eye for an eye the Amish first thought to forgive.  The out pouring of love and support from the Amish families was so overwhelming the gunman's family released this statement:
To our Amish friends, neighbors, and local community:
“Our family wants each of you to know that we are overwhelmed by the forgiveness, grace, and mercy that you’ve extended to us. Your love for our family has helped to provide the healing we so desperately need. The prayers, flowers, cards, and gifts you’ve given have touched our hearts in a way no words can describe. Your compassion has reached beyond our family, beyond our community, and is changing our world, and for this we sincerely thank you. “Please know that our hearts have been broken by all that has happened. We are filled with sorrow for all of our Amish neighbors whom we have loved and continue to love. We know that there are many hard days ahead for all the families who lost loved ones, and so we will continue to put our hope and trust in the God of all comfort, as we all seek to rebuild our lives.” 
  ³⁸ Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
³⁹ But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. Matthew 5:38-39
The word in Greek translated as resist has a consistent connotation of violence.  So it would appear that Jesus is not forbidding us to resist in the English sense of the word but to be nonviolent as we resist so as not to become that which we are fighting against. 
This idea was touched on by Dr.King when he said "Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.  Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that."
Meaning, I think, that you cannot add anger or hate to a volatile situation and expect anything less than an escalation of hate, anger and ultimately violence.  Love, understanding, compassion and forgiveness are the things needed in a situation like this Amish school shooting and in less severe but heartbreaking situations that most of us have faced at one point or another in our lives.
¹⁴ For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
¹⁵ But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:14-15
²¹ Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
²² Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. Matthew 18:21-22
Seventy times seven is a symbol for infinity and the Jewish people were into numerology or Gematria as it is called.  Jesus was very clear that we are called to forgive as infinitely as we are called to love.

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
³⁵ By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. John 13:34-35
Jesus said by our love all shall know we are truly His disciples.  Not by our scriptural knowledge, not by anything under the sun other than our love, that is what tests our metal as disciples of Christ.
It is easier to give into hate than strive for love, it is easier to disown someone than to continue to love.
It is easier to curse your attackers than it is to beg God "Forgive them for they know not what they do."
We are not called to live an easy life, we are called to live a righteous one. A life that closely resembles Christ's and there was little t nothing easy about His.
Today in Utah Timothy Troy Walker who killed Draper Police Sgt Derek Johnson, plead guilty and showed such remorse that many of his victims family were moved. The Victims Grandmother said to Walkers mother "My heart aches for you." To which Walkers mother said "I still love him."
The love the Amish showed in the midst of their tragedy would do much good in this situation as well and though the outpouring of love here may not match the magnitude of the Amish situation it has promise.

²⁰ And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you." Luke 17:20
I believe that love is as powerful as faith, it freed the country of India without an Army fight for that freedom and even against the British Army fighting against it.