Its been a horrible 24 hours---the mass shootings at Virginia Tech and the 15 deaths attributed to severe weather on the east coast. Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, it did. We were all bombarded with the images on television of students running for their lives and SWAT teams hunkered down behind buildings. After seeing all of the coverage yesterday, I finally broke down and cried all the way home last night. I cried for those students who will never know what its like to graduate college and land their first job, those will who never know what its like to hold their first baby and for the parents who thought they would die long before their own child ever would. I've had my moments of disdain and outright anger towards other people, but I've never gotten to the point of killing someone, but by the grace of God.
Isn't that true for all of us? God's grace has kept us out of situations like yesterday's and has brought reason to our brains when we weren't being very reasonable to deal with. I was reminded yesterday of how quickly life passes by and the dyer need for hope and salvation in this world. How many of these students right now are spending their eternity walking streets of gold? How many are burning in a never-ending furnace with Satan and all of his cohorts? It pains my heart to even think about it all, so I must take responsibility for my lack of witnessing to others. Sure, I "live" my life right; I don't steal; I don't murder; and I obey most of the Ten Commandments. But what about the command Jesus gave us to "go and tell" others about Him? No, I don't feel called to pick up and move to Africa to live as a missionary. But why can't I tell others about the hope I have in Christ Jesus?
One of my favorite scriptures is I Peter 3:15 "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." God doesn't want just some of our attention; nor would He settle with 99% of it. Perhaps through these recent tragedies, He will gain the 100% He desires and wants in my life.
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I tried last night to write a blog on my account about what happened yesterday in Virginia and I couldn't. Every time I tried, my thoughts went to those kids, which most of them are right around my age, who lost their lives and who would never get a chance at life. My heart physically aches when I think of them. I was watching the report with my mother last night and she was crying. And it wasn't just because of those kids, though most of it was. She was crying for my safety. Last night, I couldn't speak physically. I was crying for those kids. And I sat down at my computer to write a blog in remeberence of those kids and I couldn't. I just started crying. I couldn't form words.
I prayed last night for those families. I saw the panic in my mother's eyes and I knew she was scared for me. In her mind, she was thinking about the parents of those poor kids trying desperately to see if their child was okay. She was feeling the pain of those parents when they found out that their child didn't make it. My parents told me last night that they were happy that I was still home until I transfer down to Southern for the rest of my education. But in their minds, they are worried as well.
I pray for guidance from God. I pray in sympathy for those parents. No parent wants to outlive their child or children. My mother has told me that a lot. My prayer is that the parents of these children who were taken right at the prime of their life will find peace. It won't be easy for a long time, I know. My father's parents lost a child when the child was only 15. It's painful and I am still crying for those children who are now gone.
This is still unbelievable, but one thing I have been hearing on the news really bothers me. Every time something like this happens, the statements "What can we do to make sure this doesn't happen again" and "This is completely unimaginable" come up. The thing is, this has happened too many times before. Unfortunately, this is not unimaginable, and if we don't look into really, really doing something about tragedies like this, it will happen again. No longer can we think "this will never happen where I live". That awful truth is reality in today's time.
Keith, I agree with you 100%. The public likes to live in a sort of dream world saying, this will never happen to me. I hate to say this but, people who say that this could never happen to them are the ones in a dream world. Since yesterday's incident, my college campus stepped up security. But they stepped up security when the last attack happened. About a month after the attack happened, they slacked up on security. I'm scared, my parents are scared, and my friends are scared. The scariest part is hearing the things that this boy wrote before he went into a shooting spree. The news said he wrote angry things about how the teachers and students don't care. That's the number one warning sign to look out for. And the people were beyond oblivious to what was going on. The only person that really saw the warning signs was his creative writing teacher. But because he wasn't a minor, no one could force him to go to counseling. The sad truth is this is still going on even in our state. Students are out there feeling that there is no hope, people don't care for them, and the only way out is to kill. It's the scariest feeling in the world to know that you can't do anything about these things. But the reality is we can at least help. Those who are showing the classic warning signs, we should befriend. Even if they don't want the friendship, showing affection calms the individual down. It truly kills my heart to see what unfolded yesterday. I pray that the students out there that feel like there is no hope will find hope. Will find God. I truly wish that.
a situation like the one at virginia tech brings things into perspective fast, doesn't it. and i think that when you're a parent and something like this happens, you think about it from a whole different perspective.
i had also thought about how many people who lost their lives were saved.
another thing in the news here recently that sent my blood pressure into sky rocketing levels is the woman who prostituted out her daughter for drugs. as the mother of a 2 year old daughter, i cannot fathom what would possess a mother to do this!!! i only pray that this girl either has found or will find Jesus and that He can help make her a testimony for the world of what He can do with a "messed up life".
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