The Eyes of Our Mind

“May he enlighten the eyes of your mind so that you can see what hope his call holds for you, how rich is the glory of the heritage he offers among his holy people, and how extraordinarily great is the power that he has exercised for us believers; this accords with the strength of his power at work in Christ…” Ephesians 1:18-20

If the eyes of our mind are enlightened so we can see, really see, the hope we have in Jesus, how rich our inheritance that He offers us, there is no limit to what we can accomplish. We will surprise even ourselves. 

We have not heard the name of Antoinette Tuff but she is a real hero of the faith. On August 20, 2013, she was able to unarm Michael Hill, a 20 year old man holding an AK-47 assault rifle using words! Antoinette was a bookkeeper at the Ronald E. McNair Discover Learning Academy Elementary School in Decatur, Georgia. That day, there were more than 800 students and 100 employees in the school building.

When six shots suddenly broke, people panicked and fled. All except Antoinette. She prayed first, then stayed to talk with Michael. 

"What is your name?"

"I am Michael Hill."

"My name is Antoinette."

She saw how angry he was, how lost and in need of help.

"I know what it feels like to hurt, just like you are. I have a son with multiple disabilities. My husband of 33 years left me for someone else. But through it all, God carried me and brought healing to my heart. I know it's hard right now, but remember, there is still God who sits high and looks low. He cares for us all."

Michael listened to her quietly and after a moment of hesitation, he set the gun and bullet down on the counter beside him. Then, without a word, he lay down on the floor.

Antoinette then said "If it's alright with you, I'd like to walk outside with you, so they wouldn't shoot you. I want you to be safe." They slowly walked out together and Michael voluntarily surrendered to the police.

When asked how she managed to stop the gunman, Antoinette said, “I shared with him what God did for me during the hardest times in my life."

DeKalb County Police Chief Cedric Alexander told CNN, “You just don’t see that type of interaction in these types of situations very, very often at all. There are some things in life you can rehearse for,” he said. “But this is a woman who just kept her calm, kept her wits about herself, maintained her composure in this very dangerous situation.”

I think we can conclude that Antoinette lived her faith. That is why she showed strength and courage in this life or death situation!