Anne Lamott on Sandusky

I have to be honest, I did not follow the trial. I was not glued to the tv to hear the verdict. I did hear the verdict and then I saw some discussion via facebook and the folks that I work with. Yesterday, Anne Lamott made some comments on Twitter and then took it to her facebook page.

Within 24 hours, 111 people shared her post, 928 people liked what she said and 322 people have made comments. Folks are interested in the story and the ramifications that it has in our culture.


I first heard Anne speak in 2006 and enjoyed her stories, her journey and the thoughts that she proposed and continues to prose for us to wrestle with.


On Sandusky, she begins with God's love and how he/she loves him. Here is what she wrote:

No matter how much we all hate this, God loves Jerry Sandusky as much as He or She loves our grandchildren. That's the mystery of Grace, that you just can't get God to stop loving you or anyone else. It's crazy love, way way beyond my comfort zone. That was the message of the stunning movie, Gods and Men, which is maybe the most profound movie about Christ's Love I've ever seen.
God just Loves, period. Go figure. 

God's love is mind-blowing.


She then touches on the words of her priest which touches on God's love but also the bravery of the young men in this case who faced the man who did horrendous things to them. This is what the Priest said;

As my Episcopal priest friend said today, "Yes, God loving Sandusky as much as S/He loves a child is what's so boring about the Divine Love. More interesting, dazzling even, is the bravery of the young men." Amen. 

She concludes with the following piece:

It's such a horrible tragic mess that I cannot imagine personal or collective healing without God stepping directly into it. I believe there will be enormous change and healing as a result of the tragedy, and the courage shown and the forgiveness that will surely ensue. I don't put anything past God. When all is said and done, His love and intelligence are sovereign over this earth.
People will cheer when he is killed in prison, which he almost inevitably will be. Forgiveness takes what it takes. The courage to forgive is definitely not my strong suit. 

The comments are all over the board. It is a tough subject. It is a conversation that needs to be out there. Conversations on protecting our children, conversations on safe sanctuary policies to protect children and adults, and then God's grace.

Those who believe in God, may cringe to think about the possibility of him being in the Kingdom if her repents. Many cringe just at the thought of God loving him, how can that be. Then the final blow when we utter words like the following:

Sandusky is a child of God made in His image ....

A subject to wrestle with for sure.