On what seemed to be just another normal Sunday, Steven Curtis Stewart waited for the bus at the intersection of Peters Creek Parkway and Link Road to be taken to church.
Steven was an usher at the United Metropolitan who never missed a Sunday.
Except that one.
As Erik Brandon Randolph zipped through the intersection, he lost consciousness and control of his vehicle, fatally striking Steven, who would die just nine days later.
Erik was high on heroin and other unidentified drugs at the time of the incident—but he never thought his one mistake would cost another man his life.
The 38-year-old plead guilty to second-degree murder on Monday as well as possession of drug paraphernalia, reckless driving, driving while impaired, driving while license revoked and failure to reduce speed.
But despite the laundry list of guilty charges and remorse, there’s one thing that a prison sentence couldn’t bring back: Tamika’s brother.
Steven’s sister, Tamika Stewart, took his death perhaps the hardest of anyone. She admittedly wanted to hate the man who carelessly killed her beloved brother and her children’s favorite uncle.
He was an upstanding man with a full life ahead of him. His love for his family and his church were unparalleled, and he dreamed of one day getting married.
But that dream would never come to fruition.
Instead, the image of Steven strewn out helplessly on his hospital bed as his life slipped away was forever burned in her memory.
But Tamika made a choice that few can fathom in the face of such pain and loss. When she got the chance to confront the man who killed her brother, she had just three powerful words for him:
“I forgive you.”
“I forgive him because my brother would forgive him,” explained Tamika. “I forgive him because my brother wouldn’t hate him… I pray that you find forgiveness within yourself. I pray that the Lord will help you throughout your problems. I pray that this be a lesson for everyone sitting in this courtroom. It’s not worth it. It’s not worth it. It’s not worth it.”
As for Erik, the healing words from Tamika empowered him to renew his own faith, and he is now working toward recovery.
“I know I hurt you beyond repair,” he said. “I’ve taken something irreplaceable.”
From a worldly perspective, Tamika’s decision to forgive Erik is unfathomable, but her courageous choice is exactly the type of mercy that the Bible calls us to walk in:
“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” ~Colossians 3:13
May we all have Tamika’s courage to rise above the hurt inflicted upon us through remembering the Savior who paid it all so that our sins would, too, be washed clean.
Please join us in praying for the Stewart family as they walk through difficult time, that God may heal and restore their hearts in His perfect peace.
