3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 6 If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.
I haven't blogged in a while and I think one day I will explain why, but today is not that day.
I am grieving as I sit in bed catching up on my social media. I haven't watched the news and I won't. I know enough to know what I need to do. I need to pray. To get on my knees and cry out to God. To pray for the children, the teachers, the first responders, the parents who witnessed evil in the flesh today and will never be the same. To ask for peace and comfort for the mamas, daddies, wives, husbands, grandparents, brothers, sisters, aunts, and uncles who will never see loved ones again. Devastating. Heartbreaking. All day I have thought about the parents who won't tuck their babies into bed ever again. Whose Christmas gifts will sit unopened as a reminder of a life taken too soon. This season filled with joy & fun - when kids wake up to see where their elf on the shelf moved while they were sleeping and they hear the story of Christmas as their parents explain the excitement of Christ's birth - is now replaced with heartbreak and sadness, emptiness, and lots of questions as they face unexplainable loss. They are numb. It's so very hard to process.
Then the song Mary and Joseph by Dave Barnes comes on and it hits me. Innocent children were killed today. They did NOTHING to deserve what happened to them. While I am certainly not comparing, justifying, or trying to make sense of what happened I stop to think - Jesus was, too. He was born (Christmas) so he could die. His mother watching as he was beat and hung on a cross when he did NOTHING wrong. He didn't deserve to die. But He did so that we may live eternally. So that when the crazy of days like today happen we can remember that this life is temporary and because of His love for us we have Hope. We can have peace that passes all understanding when nothing makes sense. When tragedy strikes and leaves us asking "WHY, GOD?!" we can rest knowing that we won't have the answer to many things that will happen. That's why we need a savior. This life is about showing His love. His compassion. His grace. His mercy. His kindness. It's about being the good that we so want for this world. It has to start with us. We can't live in fear.
I also want to share this photo from a blogger I follow on Instagram. When. I read it as I was holding Finley I said Amen out loud. I needed this reminder.
Also, don't forget the family & friends of the one responsible for this act. They hurt, have questions, and are numb, too. He had a pain none of us can understand that caused him to do this. Let's make sure we are open and available to family, friends, neighbors, etc. when they need us. Don't ignore the signs. Make room in your hearts to help heal another's. Romans 12:21 - "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Let's overcome evil with love. Lots of it. So that the darkness will be overcome with light.
No comments:
Post a Comment