Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Making Sense Of It All

I was glued to the television screen when the news started pouring out of Connecticut last week. My emotions were like a roller-coaster swinging back and forth between grief, anger, sorrow, and outrage.  In the middle of it all there were also moments when I just felt completely numb.  Like  many others, I've been left with so many questions.  Why?  Why would anyone do this?  How could anyone be this evil?  How could anyone murder little innocent children? Who's to blame?  What's to blame?  Can we make any sense of it all?

Almost instantly, some individuals felt it necessary to use this tragic event to make a political statement regarding their views on gun control.  I thought to myself, really?  Twenty-seven people are dead, and before their identities are even certain, some felt it necessary to jump on a soap box.  I don't care where you stand in regards to gun control, it is complete and utter disrespect and a grave dishonor, to those who lost their lives and the loved one's left behind, to use this tragedy for political leverage.  Perhaps, before we jump on a political soapbox, we should step back a bit and remember that parents will be burying their children this week.  They'll be burying their elementary aged children!  Siblings will grow up without their brothers and sisters.  Grandparents will have one less grandchild to hug.  Aunts, uncles, and cousins will have to navigate through the heartbreak as well.  Husbands will bury their wives. Students will bury their teachers and principal.  Students and parents alike will be faced with the horror of being separated once school reopens.  Some children will return to school without their best friends.  Some children will never be able to forget the sounds, images, and horror of that tragic day.  I'll save my views on gun control for another time and another place as I refuse to dishonor all of those affected by this tragic event by adding to the political banter that in the end does nothing for those families in Newtown Connecticut.

I will, however, try to bring some perspective to all of this madness. Some struggle with the idea that God would ever allow something like this to happen.  Especially, to little innocent children. I'm sure the same questions arose in the days of Moses when Pharaoh set out to kill all the little Hebrew babies.  Again, when Jesus was born and the King sought to kill all the babies 2 years and under.  I'm sure the Jewish moms and dads struggled with the same question as they watched their children suffer and die in the extermination camps during Hitler's time.  Every attempt at genocide, murder, kidnapping, or terror involving little ones, is faced with this very question.  How could a loving God ever allow something like this to happen to little children?

My journey with God is a never ending journey of discovery, therefore I would never pretend to know and understand everything about Him.  That being said, there are definitely some things I do know about God.  For instance, I know we do not have to wonder where God stands regarding the horror that took place in Newtown.  God hates hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, and feet that are swift in running to evil (Proverbs 6:17-18).  As disgusted as we are, rest assured God is even more so.  In the same way, as precious as little children are to us, they are even more precious to our Heavenly Father.  Also, in that moment of horror, when evil walked into that school, God was there with those innocent little ones.  No legislation or school policy can force God to fall short of fulfilling His promise to never leave us (Hebrews 13:5).

I know what you're thinking.  So, if God was there with those children, then why didn't He stop that man?  I wish I had a definite answer to that, but I don't.  Again, there are some things I do know that I think can help us navigate through this.  God loves humanity.  His perfect love for us grants us a free will.  That freedom is a wonderful thing but it does come with some huge risks.  Man, whom God loves so very much, has complete freedom to not love Him back.  Each and every one of us has the freedom to follow hard after God or to completely reject Him.  That same freedom grants man the freedom to do good or to do evil. We have the freedom to love others or to think of nobody but ourselves.  From what I understand of the tragedy in CT, there were some teachers and staff of Sandy Hook elementary that gave their lives to protect those children.  They chose to think of others.  As a matter of fact, every teacher in that school, who hid children, got them out of the building, and sheltered them from harm, were individuals who used their freedom to do good.  As a result, more children were saved than were lost.  In saying that, I in no way want to diminish the tragic loss of little innocent children.  If one child was lost, that's too many.  I just want to make the point, that although one individual insists on choosing evil, he/she is no match for those who choose good.  Love wins!  Love always wins!!!  That shooter chose to do evil and in doing so, took the lives of 26 other people.  Those teachers and staff of Sandy Hook Elementary School chose to risk their lives to protect the innocent little children and as a result hundreds were saved. 

While many will sit around and debate issues that are irrelevant, the real issue is that evil exists on this planet.  As long as fallen man is on this planet, evil will exist here.  We will never be able to control the decisions that others choose to make with their lives.  There will always be those who choose evil.  That has always been the case and will always be the case.  At the same time, there will always be those who determine to choose good.  Yes, there will always be those who choose to take the lives of others, but at the same time, there will always be those who are willing to lay down their lives for others. Evil is a powerful force, but it is no match for those who choose what is good and right.  Thank God for teachers, principals, policemen, firemen, military, moms, dads, grandparents, and everyone else who chooses good. Let's also be thankful for a God who is the ultimate Good!  A God who comforts those who mourn.  A God who hurts when we hurt.  A God who heals our wounds and puts our broken hearts back together.  A God who embraces each of those little ones in His arms. A God who is perfectly just and is in charge of upholding eternal justice.  A God who set the standard for love by laying down His life for all of humanity.  Love wins! Love always wins!!!