Perplexed and Grieved
Today, I am again perplexed and deeply grieved with the world we live in. With another university shooting reported in the news it seems the more things change the more they stay the same. I wonder what happens to people that turns them from normal rational individuals into unfeeling maniacs that walk into classrooms and randomly gun down innocent students. This simply does not register in my brain. How can we live in a world where this kind of behavior is now common place?
What I did notice, and was somewhat encouraged by, were the photographs of the students shown on the morning news. These images, interspersed with footage of people being carried into ambulances splattered with blood were a jarring contrast, a young woman kneeling down and embracing another student, several students, most of whom were responding with postures of prayer gathered together weeping. One picture of a young man on his knees with his face tight with anguish eyes close to the unreality of the situation with his hand folded in front of him in prayer. Next, a circle of young people holding flickering candles in the cold night singing praise songs to the Lord. Pictures and love notes placed in the snow as a memorial for the dead. How does this happen?
Psychologist can try to explain it with fancy words or complicated sounding syndromes, but all I see is evil plain and simple.
This world and these deeply disturbed individuals need the healing restoration that comes from accepting Christ into their heart. It again brings home the truth for me of just how important our prayers are. We need to be daily lifting up our young people, for their choices, for their decisions and for their safety. I wonder if this young man who committed this horrible act of evil had anyone praying for him, my guess is probably not. If he had his life might have been profoundly different? This all just makes me very sad.
I encourage you all to take a moment to pray for all those who have over the course of these last few months been involved in this rash of thoughtless violence. God can reign down His peace and love on everyone, and that is something this world and all of us so desperately need.
What I did notice, and was somewhat encouraged by, were the photographs of the students shown on the morning news. These images, interspersed with footage of people being carried into ambulances splattered with blood were a jarring contrast, a young woman kneeling down and embracing another student, several students, most of whom were responding with postures of prayer gathered together weeping. One picture of a young man on his knees with his face tight with anguish eyes close to the unreality of the situation with his hand folded in front of him in prayer. Next, a circle of young people holding flickering candles in the cold night singing praise songs to the Lord. Pictures and love notes placed in the snow as a memorial for the dead. How does this happen?
Psychologist can try to explain it with fancy words or complicated sounding syndromes, but all I see is evil plain and simple.
This world and these deeply disturbed individuals need the healing restoration that comes from accepting Christ into their heart. It again brings home the truth for me of just how important our prayers are. We need to be daily lifting up our young people, for their choices, for their decisions and for their safety. I wonder if this young man who committed this horrible act of evil had anyone praying for him, my guess is probably not. If he had his life might have been profoundly different? This all just makes me very sad.
I encourage you all to take a moment to pray for all those who have over the course of these last few months been involved in this rash of thoughtless violence. God can reign down His peace and love on everyone, and that is something this world and all of us so desperately need.
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