This is a great story, apparently true. I wonder how I might respond in this situation:
Ninety-two-year-old Pauline Jacobi had just finished loading her groceries into her car at a local Wal-Mart in Dyer County, Tennessee. She got in her car, and a moment later, a man climbed into the passenger side. He said he had a gun and that he would shoot her if she did not hand over her money. What she did next did not involve pepper-spray or martial arts, but it did save her life and may have saved his.
Pauline calmly refused her would-be robber three times. Then she said, “You know, as quick as you kill me, I’ll go to heaven and you’ll go to hell.” Then she told him that he needed to ask God for forgiveness. “Jesus is in this car,” she said, “and He goes with me everywhere I go.” Jacobi said that the man looked around, and then tears began to come to his eyes.
For 10 more minutes, Jacobi shared with the man. Finally, he said, “I think I will go home tonight and pray.” But Jacobi told him that he did not need to wait to pray; he could pray now.
Then Jacobi, voluntarily, offered the man all the money she had on her, 10 bucks, on one condition—that he not spend the money on whiskey. After that, the man kissed her on the cheek, got out of the car, and walked away.
This is excerpted from a radio address by Mark Earley, on Charles Colson's Breakpoint radio commentaries. The link is HERE.
Phoenixes Featured
4 months ago
3 comments:
I heard that story before. Quite inspiring. I don't think I would have been so calm -- or gracious.
OH YEAH. I saw this on the news before. AMAZING woman.
I've read this before. I can't imagine being calm enough to sound serious. I'm sure it would come over as me begging for my life, not giving compassion.
This lady was extraordinary!
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