The Bullfighter Who Forgave the Unforgivable
Who is Rob Smets the bullfighter?
Rob Smets is a five-time world champion bullfighter known as the Kamikaze Kid, who made a career of stepping between bulls and fallen riders. His hardest battle came off the arena floor, when his 11-month-old grandson was murdered. All he could think of was vengeance, but remembering that Christ had forgiven his own sins, he went to the county jail and forgave the killer face to face.
Rob Smets
Rob is a 5-time World Champion Bullfighter, better known as the “Kamikaze Kid.” Just one look at Rob and you’d know he’s one tough fella. During his career, he never hesitated to put himself between a bull and a bullrider, knowing fully well he could likely die saving others. Cody Lambert, a legendary bullrider testifies:
Rob's toughest fight, like a lot of men's, turned out to be learning how to quit porn.
“When I was riding, I always felt good when I knew Rob was there, because if things got ugly I knew he’d be right in the middle of it – the greatest bullfighters don’t hesitate.”
Although Rob has fought the fiercest bulls and has seen his share of injury and trauma, he could have never imagined facing that degree of brutality within his own family when he learned that his 11-month old grandson was savagely murdered. He had to suddenly pose the question of why a loving God would allow this to happen. It had to take God’s grace to help him forgive his grandson’s murderer.
Related Article: 5 Reasons to Reject Resentment
“At one point all I could think of was vengeance, but I knew in my heart that God had forgiven me of my sins. I did a lot of bad things in the past and I am redeemed because Christ died for me.”
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With that, Rob went to the county jail and met his grandson’s murderer face to face to let him know that he had forgiven him.
Related Article: 4 Steps To Practicing Forgiveness
Today Rob is an announcer and a motivational speaker who shares his faith wherever he goes. He is proof of how much trials can transform you. He realizes he isn’t complete yet, but knows that even when life knocks you down you need to get up: “‘Sooner or later, you’re going to get knocked on your (butt) and you’re going to find out how much heart God gave you, and how much you truly want to play the game.”
Related Article: World Champion Bull Rider Conquers More Than Bulls
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Writing at the intersection of faith and neuroscience to help men and women break destructive cycles and walk in lasting freedom.
More articles by Jeremy Wiles →Frequently Asked Questions
What does a rodeo bullfighter actually do?
A rodeo bullfighter puts himself between the bull and the rider the moment the rider goes down, buying the seconds that can save a life. Cody Lambert, a legendary bullrider, said of five-time world champion Rob Smets, "I always felt good when I knew Rob was there, because if things got ugly I knew he'd be right in the middle of it – the greatest bullfighters don't hesitate."
How do you forgive someone who hurt your family?
Forgiveness of that size is never manufactured by willpower; it comes out of grace you have already been given. Rob Smets, whose eleven-month-old grandson was murdered, put it this way: "At one point all I could think of was vengeance, but I knew in my heart that God had forgiven me of my sins. I did a lot of bad things in the past and I am redeemed because Christ died for me." He went to the county jail and said it face to face.
Why would a loving God allow something so brutal to happen?
Almost everyone who suffers something violent asks that question, and asking it is not a failure of faith. A man who lost his eleven-month-old grandson had to face it without warning. He was not handed a tidy explanation. What he was given was enough of God's grace to forgive, and a life that shows how deeply trials can transform a person instead of destroying him.
What do you do when life knocks you down?
You get back up. As Rob Smets puts it, "Sooner or later, you're going to get knocked on your (butt) and you're going to find out how much heart God gave you, and how much you truly want to play the game." Getting up does not mean the work in you is finished. It means you are still in it, and still being formed by the God who is not finished either.
Can suffering really change a person for the better?
It can. A bullfighter who absorbed years of injury and then the murder of a grandchild went on to become an announcer and a speaker who shares his faith wherever he goes. He is open about the fact that he is not complete yet. That honesty is the point. God takes what breaks a man and builds something out of it that outlives the pain.
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