Tears

I woke up this morning and, as usual, I checked my e-mail, etc, to see if there was anyone I needed to get back with. As I scrolled down Facebook, I came across the pictures of many of the children who were killed in Connecticut on Friday. My heart breaks for those involved. The tragedy of losing a loved one is compounded by that loved one being a child and it is multiplied by the horrific way in which these children (and others) were killed. I wept as I looked at those faces whose innocence was slain. One little girl had the name of Olivia, which is my own little girl's name. It cuts me deeply imagining how my life would be had she been killed in such a way - or ANY of my children. I also felt rage. This is a trickier emotion to focus. At whom is my rage directed?? Should it be directed a the young person who did these horrible acts?? I think many times we can make people 2 dimensional. We see people as evil or good. But I wonder why this young man of 20 years would commit such a horrible act. How broken and wounded was he to even think of doing this?? The anger can be focused on the parents of this boy. How could they produce such a monster?? I noticed that there wasn't a mention of the boys' father. The article says he killed his mother and took her guns. It doesn't mention his Dad. What kind of family did he grow up in? Where WAS his father? Where was his community?? His church?? Did he 'fall through the cracks'? I don't think or rage our blame should be pointed at any of these I've mentioned. Yes, we need to look at ourselves and see how many people we may pass by who need a kind word or someone to deeply love them and be involved with them. Many people will shout out about the need for more gun control. They believe that if they take the guns out of the hands, then there will be no more murder. I think those who have guns ought to assess their reasons for having them. We ALL need to understand and assess what drives us in whatever we do. But I don't think that taking guns off the streets will stop things like this. People who want to do these things will find a way to do them, no matter the laws. We see this in other countries who DO have strict gun control laws and they STILL find a way. I believe that the 'blame' is ultimately on the Evil One. Since the garden, he has been the one destroying lives. That is not to say that we are not responsible for our actions. But ultimately, he is the one who is a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. He deceives us and lies to us. Our society has chosen to believe his lie that he doesn't exist. And so he continues to destroy lives - whether through guns, abuse, harsh words and neglect - to name a few. During this holiday time, many people talk about HOPE. But most of the time, it's a hope that is based on nothing. When my kids were little, we used to watch the movie Beauty and the Beast Christmas. It's an OK story, but what drove me crazy and continues to (and my kids know because I always bring it up!!) is the song 'As long as there's christmas'. It talks about hope, but they don't say what their hope is in!! Whenever there is hope, there is something we are hoping for. There is something in which we put our hope. It's not just a generic 'well, I hope things will get better'. I can assure you, it's not going to. God has told us that things will go from bad to worse. We cannot hope in the inherent goodness of people, because we are NOT. We are broken. We are abused and we abuse. We are neglected and we neglect. We are controlled and we control. Our only hope is in Christ. That is the whole reason for this season. And it's not the hope that the Jews had at the time that Christ was born - that they would be saved from the oppression of the earthly government they were living under. They lived under someone much worse than either of the candidates this year. Their hope was that the Messiah would come and set up his earthly kingdom and they, as a kingdom, would - excuse me - 'kick butt'. But God's plan went so much further beyond anything they 'hoped' for. When Jesus was here, he read from the passage in Isaiah 61:1. It says "The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners" This is what he came to do - but not just the earthly prisoners or poor or blind. He is talking about the spiritually blind, broken, bound. It is a freedom that doesn't just begin in the 'sweet by and by' but it is something He desire to do beginning this moment. My heart breaks for this young man who was a prisoner of who knows what. He was blind to God and who God has called him to be. Most of all, he was in bondage to the lie that he was not worth anything and he knew nothing of the love of God which passes all understand. You may wonder how I can say this since I don't know him. But I think that anyone who does such a thing as he has done MUST believe this lie. I was just trying to think of a line from a book that was coming to my mind. I just remembered it. Many of you may be offended that I have read this book but there are some very good truths that can be found. At the very end of the last book of Harry Potter, Harry is talking to Dumbledore, who was the headmaster at their school. Dumbledore tells him "Do not pity the dead, Harry, pity the living. Above all, pity those who live without love. By returning you may ensure that fewer souls are maimed and fewer families are torn apart." He is referring to the damage done by living in a world that is broken and without love. Jesus says that the world will know that we are his disciples because of our love. Not our doctrine. Not our theology. Not our amazing worship services. But our love. How much do we even SEE let alone love those HE brings into our lives. This is the hope - that His love transforms us and, through us, transforms those around us. How might this tragedy of Connecticut been prevented had someone SEEN this young man and loved him with the transforming love of Christ. It is a wake up call to all of us. To truly SEE.