Bountiful Blessings
December
18, 2012
I’m two days late on this, I know.
It has been difficult to concentrate. To think of something to say. So I
decided to do, well, pretty much what I always do. Share what is on my mind….
What happened? I was sitting at work
when we heard that there was a shooting at an elementary school class. No
matter how much live feed we watched, it still seemed surreal. This could not
happen. Kindergartners? Noooo…… So today we mourn. The world mourns with us.
All those little babies. The laughter. The innocence. The snaggle toothed
grins. Angels while they sleep. Wild animals when they play. Our greatest
pride. Our future generation. The loves of our lives. How could such a thing
happen? We cried. We sat in shock. We didn’t understand. We still don’t
understand. The funerals will begin soon. The media has been showing us
pictures and stories of the children. We think about our own children and
cannot comprehend what the poor parents are going through. We hear about the
bravery and the sacrifice of the teachers. WHY???? Why do bad things happen? We
wonder what kind of person could do such a thing. The gun control debate has
already started. We continue on our quest for “why”. It is our feeble attempt
to make sense of the horror. Some of us may even wonder how could God let this
happen. Reasonable to ask but truly, God doesn’t “let” things happen. He lets
us have the freedom to make choices. And some make really bad ones. God
is mourning with us today. I believe that the downpour of rain was God crying
with us. He was there with us when we cried, when our hearts were breaking,
when we were questioning.
We may never know what happened or
why it happened. From Columbine to Virginia Tech to the Amish school to the
stabbings in the Chinese school to this shooting, unstable people commit acts
of horror and tragedy. What can we do? Put God back in schools? (Amen) Enforce
stronger gun control laws? (Bandaid – not the answer) Improve mental health
awareness? (Wouldn’t be a bad idea) (Haha. You wanted all the comments from the
peanut gallery, didn’t you???) The debates and suggestions will abound in the
coming weeks. And most likely, they will all have merit. But today, I ask for
something far more simpler. I would like to remind you to pay attention.
Listen. Communicate. I attended a class on Crisis Communication yesterday and
today. It was geared towards teaching communication skills to dispatchers to
handle people calling in a crisis. Aren’t we in a crisis???!!! I believe a
resounding YES. So, please ---- Listen. Communicate. There are people in your
life that may have something to say. They need you to hear them.
Tragedies occur. A man took his life at the courthouse this week. A dog was
skinned alive. A mother and her two young children were murdered in their
apartment. People are hurting. People are angry. We need to be there for them.
Now, please understand that I am NOT saying that anything could have prevented
such a tragedy. Nor do I think someone else shares in the responsibility. Nope.
Responsibility lies ENTIRELY with the shooter. He did it. Yet, we may make a
difference in the prevention of another tragedy, whether big or small. You may
never know that you assisted in diverting a tragedy. That you made a difference
in someone‘s life. That is ok. All you can do, is be there for someone.
Bible
Verse for the week:
My
tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, “Where
is your God?”… Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put
your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. Psalms 42:3, 5-6
Prayer
for the week:
Dear
Lord,
Why,
Lord? Why did little ones have to die? Lord, we come to you on bended knees,
asking the toughest questions. How could anyone hurt a baby? We strive for
answers but truly do not want to understand the evil that lurks in the minds of
others. We hug our children close as we grieve for the parents of the fallen
children. The lives of the families, the friends and even the emergency
personnel are forever changed. Many will go to a dark place. Only through you
and you alone can the parents find their way back into the light. Into the
knowledge and the comfort that their children are playing joyfully in your
kingdom today. And one day, they will be reunited. Until that time, please wrap
your arms around them and give them comfort and strength to continue on. And
Lord, though more difficult, we pray for those who embrace the evil. Who bring
harm to others. It is hard for us to forgive or to understand. Please use us,
Lord, to listen to what they are trying to tell us before it is too late. Help
us to see them. Help us to listen to them. For the lost souls are your children
as well. In Jesus’s name. Amen.
Bible
Fun for the week:
Ÿ Fill in the blank: “What shall we say
then?Shall we continue in sin, that _________ may abound?”
Ÿ Question: What are the wages of sin?
Ÿ Fill in the blank: “And we know that
all things work together for _________ to them that love God.”
Ÿ Finish the statement: “if God be for
us…..”
Ÿ Question: What made believers dead to
the law?
Ÿ True or False: When baptized into
Jesus Christ, believers are also baptized into His life.
Ÿ Choose A or B: According to Paul, real
hope is A) seen or B) not seen
Please
continue to pray for the friends and families of the children, the teachers and
for the police, fire and dispatchers who
responded to the call that day.
No comments:
Post a Comment