Surrender to faith

At 2 a.m. on March 12, Ashley Smith, 26, a widow living alone in a North Atlanta apartment in the United States was taken hostage at gun-poi...

At 2 a.m. on March 12, Ashley Smith, 26, a widow living alone in a North Atlanta apartment in the United States was taken hostage at gun-point by a killer who had already murdered four persons in cold blood. On March 25, she was honoured at a public function held in the state capital for her heroism and bravery in handling the situation. She has become a celebrity sought by book publishers and movie makers. Thereby hangs a tale.

Ashley Smith had gone out of her apartment around 2 a.m. to buy cigarettes from a neighborhood store. While entering her apartment after the purchase she saw the stranger, Nichols, closing in on her. He stuck his gun into her ribs and asked her to follow instructions if she did not wish to be harmed.

Trapped in her apartment by the suspect, she kept her cool though she was terrified within. She talked to him about God’s power. She showed him pictures of her family. She read from the pages of an inspirational book, The Purpose-Driven Life. “We serve God by serving others. The world defines greatness in terms of power, possessions, prestige and position. If you can demand service from others, you have arrived. In our self-serving culture with its me-first mentality, acting like a servant is not a popular concept.”

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Nichols was listening intently. “Will you stop and read it again? “ She responded by reading more. “He (God) shaped you for a purpose and He expects you to make the most of what you have been given… He doesn’t want you to worry about or covet abilities you don’t have. Instead He wants you to focus on talents He has given you to use.”

Smith told Nichols that his life still has a purpose. “You are here for a reason. You’re here in my apartment for some reason. You got out of that courthouse with police everywhere, and you don’t think that’s a miracle?”

Smith meant that his presence there in her apartment was according to God’s plan. “You know, your miracle could be that you need to, you need to be caught for this. You need to go to prison and you need to share the word of God with all the prisoners there.” God wanted him in jail “to save many more people” than he had killed.

All the talk had prepared him to surrender to the police without causing further violence. He requested her to come and visit him in jail. “You’re an angel sent from God to me,” he told her. “I want to talk to you again. Will you come see me?” She assured him that she would.

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By 9 a.m., Nichols, the mad killer, was a changed man. When the police arrived, ending a long man hunt which had paralysed the city, he waved a white towel and surrendered.