'American Sniper' Widow Cites Scripture in Touching Valentine's Day Tribute for Late Navy SEAL Husband
Real-life "American Sniper" widow, Taya Kyle, honored her late husband, Chris Kyle, on Valentine's Day with a touching tribute on Facebook. She referenced Scripture and alluded to the power of prayer in her heartfelt post.
"Be still and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10," Taya wrote on Feb. 14. "We all suffer. It's part of life. The blessing is — while evil exists, divinity does too and it is stronger. According to the Bible, divinity is available to all of us — we simply need to be still and give our gratitude and our problems to God."
The tragic love story of Taya and Chris, a former Navy SEAL, recently became an international sensation following the release of Clint Eastwood's epic war drama "American Sniper," which was inspired by the couple's journey through fate and the perils of the Iraq war.
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In 2013, Chris, widely considered to be the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history for having 160 confirmed kills, was fatally shot by Eddie Ray Routh, a former Marine he was trying to help overcome PTSD. While for many people Saturday marked a day to celebrate love, for Taya, it was a painful reminder of Chris' murder three years ago.
Despite her grief, the single mother of two was able to acknowledge the silver lining in the midst of her heartbreaking reality.
"My heart may be broken and my spirit tired, but today I thank God for sending my Valentine when I needed him the most. I thank God for the time we had, the children we share, the promise of seeing each other again and the friends and family who stay with me today," Taya shared.
She also offered words of encouragement for other lonely singles on Valentine's Day and shared her own experience in using faith and prayer to find true love and happiness.
"I remember when I met Chris and I remember praying to God for a genuine, NICE man weeks before we met," she wrote. "For any of you who are lonely today, I encourage you to pray. Pray for the woman or man who has a particular quality you feel you need more than anything else and watch God bring him or her in His time. Have faith."
Chris, who was 38 when he was killed, served four tours in Iraq before he left the military in 2009 to focus on his family. He later became an advocate for veterans' mental health issues and he often spent time with wounded war vets on the shooting range.
Testimony resumed this week in the capital murder trial of Routh, who is pleading not guilty by reason of insanity to both the shooting death of Chris and his friend Chad Littlefield.
Attorneys for Routh argued recently that the "troubled" Marine was experiencing a psychosis allegedly brought on by PTSD when he fatally shot Chris and Chad. They said that as a result he could not be held accountable for the murders.
During opening statements, a prosecutor told jurors that Routh "may have been mentally ill, but he still knew right from wrong" when he killed both men.
"The evidence will show that mental illnesses, even the ones that this defense may or may not have, don't deprive people from the ability to be good citizens to know right from wrong, to obey the law," said Erath County District Attorney Alan Nash, "and at the very least not murder people."
