Botham Jean was fatally shot by Amber Guyger on the night of September 06, 2018.  It appears to have happened due to a tragic mistake.  Fatigued, and perhaps distracted, Guyger claims to have confused Jean’s fourth floor apartment for her third floor apartment.

Who was Botham Jean?  He was a member of the church of Christ.  He was a song leader with West Church of Christ in Dallas.  He was an accountant at Pricewaterhouse Coopers.  He will be missed by many.  Michael Griffin, minister, said, “Botham Shem Jean was not a silhouette.  He was the light in a dark room” (Who is Botham Jean?  wffa.com).  Allison Jean, his mother, said, “Everything Botham did was to impact the lives of people” (ibid).

There are many reasons for one to be enraged.  Guyger’s feelings about blacks were exposed.  She had a history of racist texts (Prosecution in Guyger Trial Reveals Past Racist and Violent Text, Social Media Posts by Tobias Hoonhout, nationalreview.com).  Did her racial views influence her decision?  She had been sexting (Texts Between Amber Guyger, Dallas Police Partner Revealed at Trial by Erik Ortiz, nbcnews.com).  Did this distract her to the point that she did not even notice the bright red door mat at Jean’s door?  This clearly was not her apartment.

However, Brandt Jean, Botham’s brother, had love and concern for Guyger, in his heart, when he spoke in court on October 2, 2019.  He said, “If you truly are sorry – I know I can speak for myself – I, I forgive you.  And I know if you go to God and ask Him, He will forgive you… I love you just like anyone else… I am not going to say I hope you rot and die, just like my brother did… I personally want the best for you… I want the best for you because that is exactly what Botham would want for you.  And the best would be give your life to Christ… I think giving your life to Christ would be the best thing Botham would want you to do.  Again, I love you as a person, and I don’t wish anything bad on you” (Botham Jean’s Brother, Brandt and Amber Guyger Hug, KHOU11, youtube).

Who can watch this without getting teary-eyed?  I want to be more like Brandt.

Ponder the following passages:

1.   “If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6: 14-15).
2. “Should you not also have compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?  And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers… so my heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses” (Matthew 18:33-35).
3. “If your brother sins against you, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.  And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him” (Luke 17:3-4).
4. “Then Peter came to Him and said, ‘Lord how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?  Up to seven times?’  Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven'” (Matthew 18:21-22).
5. “Judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy.  Mercy triumphs over judgement” (James 2:13).
6. “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).
7. “Put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long-suffering; bearing with one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do” (Colossians 3:12-13).