I wanted to know what type of kid would do this? Had he always been a bully? Was he always hurting other people? - The words of Victoria Ruvolo.
Victoria Ruvolo do not remember the 18-year-old boy leaning out the window holding, of all things, a frozen turkey. He threw it at her windshield. Crashing through the glass, it shattered Victoria's face like a dinner plate on concrete.
John 13:14-15 says, Since I, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each others feet. Do as I have done to you.
This was the words of Jesus Christ, He wanted us to understand that no matter how influential you might be, one thing is certain, we all need His Grace. Victoria Ruvolo did that. Months later, she stood face to face with her offender in court. No longer cocky, he was trembling, tearful, and apologetic. Six months behind bars, five years probation. Everyone in the courtroom objected. He sobbed, and she spoke, I forgive you. I want your life to be the best it can be. The reduced sentence was her idea. God gave me a second chance at life, and I passed it on, she said! Grace chooses to see God's forgiveness!
How The Story Happened And How Grace Took Place Through Forgiveness.
On a cold night in November 12, 2004 six teenagers in Ronkonkoma, New York bought a 20 pound turkey with a stolen credit card. While driving on Sunrise Highway, 18 year-old Ryan Cushing threw the frozen bird out the back window just for a thrill. The turkey hit Victoria Ruvolo's car, shattering the windshield and smashed into her face. She was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. She awoke several weeks later with no knowledge of what had happened. Victoria has written about her experiences in a book titled "
No Room For Vengeance in Justice and Healing."
When I looked in the mirror, I could see it was me but my whole face was smashed in and every single bone in my face was broken. I had no idea. I had ten hours of surgery and I was shocked when the doctors told me that from now on, for the rest of my life, I would always have three titanium plates in my left cheek, one in my right cheek, and also have a wire mesh holding my left eye in place because my left eye socket was so badly shattered.
Once I got off the medication, I remember lying in the bedroom at my sisters house and just crying myself to sleep and asking: Why me God? What did I ever do so wrong and so terrible in my life that I deserved all this to happen to me? And I cry myself to sleep. But then, gradually, it began to dawn on me that perhaps God had allowed me to live through this ordeal because I was in such great physical condition. The idea that it had happened for a reason and that I had saved someone else who might not have been able to survive helped me get through rehabilitation.
Then the District Attorney informed me that the other teenagers who had been with Ryan had entered a plea bargain to testify against him. This, coupled with overwhelming evidence, was enough to put Ryan in jail for 25 years. It was at this point that I started asking questions about Ryan. I wanted to know what type of kid would do this? Had he always been a bully? Was he always hurting other people? What could possibly have built up inside him so bad that he had to throw something so hard? Because I experienced the death of two brothers when I was much younger, I felt strongly that I did not want be responsible for taking this other young persons life. I did not. want Ryan to rot in jail. That is when I asked to meet with Ryan's lawyer to be able to tell him that I wanted an amnesty for Ryan or at least a lesser sentence.
On the day we went to court, I saw this young man walk in wearing a suit which looked like it was three times too big for him; it made him seem so frail. He walked in with his head hung down and looked so upset with himself. When I saw him there, my heart went out to him. To me he looked like a lost soul. Once the case was over and it was time for him to walk out, he started veering over towards where I was sitting and every court officer was ready to jump on him. They had no idea why he was coming towards me but as he walked over to where I was sitting and stood in front of me, I saw that all he was doing was crying, crying profusely. He looked at me and said, I never meant this to happen to you, I prayed for you every day. I am so glad you are doing well. Then this motherly instinct just came over me and all I could do was take him and cuddle him like a child and tell him just do something good with your life, take this experience and do something good with your life. Because I asked for amnesty for Ryan, he received a six-month prison sentence with five years probation of community service and psychiatric help. Some people could not understand why I have done this but I felt God had given me a second chance and I wanted to pass it on. I know I did the right thing. Kids like Ryan do not think about what they do. They think they are invincible and everything will be OK. They do not think about how every action has a reaction.
INSIGHT
Most people would have told the judge to sentence Ryan to serve a long prison sentence for his crime committed but Victoria showed that she was not most people. Look at your feet. They’re wet with Grace.
Jesus has washed your feet. He has washed the grimiest parts of our life. To accept grace is the vow to give it and Victoria did just that. You don’t endorse the deeds of your offender when you forgive them, you only show them Grace. Jesus didn’t endorse our sins by forgiving you. Grace sees the hurt full well but it refuses to let hurts poison the heart the book of Proverbs teaches, " that above all things we must guide our Heart." Where grace is lacking, bitterness abounds. Where grace abounds, forgiveness grows. So, let the hands of God wipe away every dirty part of your life. Then look across the room and wash someone else feet with Grace.
The Scripture says in Roman 5: 20 that, … but where sin increased, Grace increased the more.
Let grace begin and continue in you!
AMEN.
