My Story by
Elizabeth Smart is a sad story of how as a 14-year old she was kidnapped and
held hostage for 9 months.
You need to read the story to get a lot of the details but
the amazing part of the story is when she is finally rescued the first morning
after she had a good night’s rest in her own bed her mother come over to her
and told her before it gets too crazy, she needed to tell her something.
He mother stated what she was about to say was very
important and Elizabeth says she could see from the look on her mother’s face
that what she was about to say was, in fact, very important.
“I listened intently as I could,” says Elizabeth “and I’m
very glad I did, for what she was about to say turned out to be the best advice
that anyone has ever given me.”
“In fact, I would say it changed my life” declares Elizabeth
in the book.
“’Elizabeth,” her mother began, “what this man has done is
terrible. There aren’t any words that are strong enough to describe how wicked
and evil he is! He has taken nine months of your life that you will never get
back again. But the best punishment you
could ever give him is to be happy. To move forward with your life. To do
exactly what you want. Because, yes,
this will probably go to trial and some kind of sentencing will be given to him
and that wicked woman. But even if that’s true, you may never feel like justice
has been served or that true restitution has been made.”
“’But you don’t need to worry about that,” the mother
continued, “[a]t the end of the day, God is our ultimate judge. He will make up
to you every pain and loss that you have suffered. And if it turns out that
those people are not punished here on Earth, it doesn’t matter. His punishments
are just. You don’t have to worry. You don’t ever have to even think about them
again.”
She paused, as if the next words were the most important. “You
be happy, Elizabeth. Just be happy. If you go and feel sorry for yourself, or
if you dwell on what has happened, if you hold on to your pain, that is
allowing him to steal more of your life away. So don’t you do that! Don’t you
let him! There is no way that he deserves that. Not one more second of your
life. You keep every second for yourself. You keep them and be happy. God will
take care of the rest.’”
Elizabeth writes, “It’s been ten years since my mother said
those words. The years have proven she was right.”
Most of us do not have anywhere near the horrible things
happen to us that happened to Elizabeth, however everyone has something happen
to them that they have to move on from. If Elizabeth could do it from what
happened to her that was so horrendous and terrifying surely with God’s help
everyone can move on from whatever situation may have happened to them.
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