"Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these" (Matt. 19:14)
Friday, December 14, 2012 twenty little children and six adults took possession of the kingdom of Heaven. Today they are whole and happy and healthy. Yet, today, their families...and the world...are wracked with a raw grief encompassing every fiber of our being...body, mind, soul and spirit! Words escape us...tears consume us...questions proliferate with no logical answers...why? Why, God? Why young innocent children? Why loving dedicated school staff just doing their jobs? Why now? Silent screams pierce our psyches, searching for rational and logical motives. Yet, they don't come!
Opinions run rampant...the need for new or better gun laws; additional and more specific attention to mental disorders...better school security...how much do we expose our children to the specifics of tragedies such as this....some unbridled opinions, as in the case of the supposed Morgan Freeman views through social media (check it out on Facecrooks) continue being reposted...
All of those issues are pertinent and important to discuss! But now? Really? People want to know why? and where was God? The other legislations, regulations, and policies will come in time.
So why did this happen? Why did the shootings in the mall in Oregon happen? Why did the shootings in Tucson occur? WHY? Because evil exists in this world! Plain and simple! When God created the world, behold He looked upon it and said it was "good" (Gen. 1: 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). He created man and woman and it was good. But then SIN entered the world? WHY? Because God gave man free will, the option to choose good or to choose bad. God set the ball in motion and allowed man to choose...and man chose evil. So evil exists in the world even today!
In our state of "free will" over the years we, as a country, have chosen to remove God from just about every governing document or body, our schools, buildings, athletic events, etc. The pledge to our flag still contains the words "...one nation, under God..."; yet, who's to say those words will remain in our pledge. America has become a self-focused, self-reliant nation. The New Age movement has ushered in the idea that we can do everything FOR and BY ourselves; that we are most important; that we are able to do for ourselves and need no one; we are all interconnected, and we can, through positive thoughts, heal ourselves and one another; "the human mind has much greater potential than that ascribed to it and can even override physical reality" (Wikipedia, New Age)...in other words, we are big, we're cool, we're in control; we don't need God...we ARE God! In the realm of religiosity we have either removed God or moved Him down on the hierarchy UNTIL and UNLESS a magnanimous tragedy occurs! THEN we want to reach across party lines, across religious divisions and cry out to God for help, fully expecting and anticipating His rapid response! HOW AUDACIOUS! HOW ARROGANT!
No matter your political affiliation, please listen to this blatant yet candid statement by Mike Huckabee:
Wonder what would happen if, just for a while, we were to allow God to re-enter our lives in all capacities, public and private? HE is a good God! He is a righteous God! But He also is JEALOUS God...and He WILL NOT force His way into any place He is not welcomed!
So, since this way is not working for us (in the wording of Dr. Phil) then should we keep doing the same thing expecting different results (the definition of insanity); or should we perhaps try something different...like maybe the "old fashioned" way of doing things like when I was growing up? You know, like prayer in schools, at athletic events, the display of the 10 Commandments, etc.
And...where was God throughout this whole incident? Right where He always has been! On His throne, looking down on the senseless and tragic incident, His heart hurting...for the deranged mental state of the gunman, for his mother whose life was blotted out, for his remaining family who will re-live this every single day for the rest of their lives, for the precious victims whose lives were stolen from them, for the families of those victims, for the first responders, for the fellow teachers, administrators, and other students, for the community of Newtown...and for the world at large. Jesus was weeping along with each of us. Could He have intervened? YES! Why did He not? We don't know...and we will never now this side of Heaven.
Yet, in the words of my pastor, Pete Wilson, this is what we DO know: " Ps. 34:18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.
I know in confusing times like this many people wonder…
God where are you?
God why aren’t you answering?
Do you know?
Do you care?
We wonder if there is anything that STILL holds true. Even in the face of unexplainable circumstances like this I do believe certain things still hold true.
I believe…
Love still defeats hate.
Hope is still stronger than despair.
There is a God who still answers prayer.
His mercies are still new every morning.
His forgiveness is still stronger than sin.
His guidance is still greater than human confusion.
His promises still remain more certain than human fear.
The cross is still sufficient for grace for us.
The tomb is still empty.
All this is true because 2,000 years ago, a baby named Jesus was born in a town named Bethlehem. Governments, economies, civilizations, and cultures keep coming and going, but the kingdom Jesus started is still spreading, and his light shines brighter today than it did when it started." (Pete Wilson, Dec. 17, 2012, Cross Point Community Church).
I am clinging to those promises...to that hope...to that baby who went to a cross and rose again! I am clinging to the only One I know can supply the comfort so desperately needed by countless people the world over. I do not know what tomorrow holds for any of us....but I DO KNOW the ONE who holds tomorrow, and so I press in to Him, I cling to His Word and His love...and I cry out, "Abba, Father, have mercy, bring healing, and provide peace in the midst of this horrific storm! For You along can bring hope, peace, comfort, and joy again! And we WILL offer you ALL praise, glory and honor for every little provision along the way!"
As I end, I share the names of those precious lives lost, to honor their life and death...and I ask you to choose even one name and pray for that family throughout the holidays and the coming months, even years!
Believe it or not...PRAYER DOES CHANGE THINGS! We don't change things or people! GOD DOES and He embodies the prayers of His people!
My prayer for each of you reading this is that you will know the One whose birth we celebrate during this season! If you have not yet relinquished control of your life to His control, I beg of you to do so now. For, as in the words of our pastor to his boys during this tragedy, "None of us chooses how we die. But we do choose how we live".
Live deliberately! Live obediently! Life hopefully! And life forgiven...by the only one who matters, Jesus!
Merry, Merry Christmas in spite of and through it all!
Principal Dawn Hochsprung, Psychologist Mary Sherlach, Teachers Lauren Rousseau, Victoria Soto, Anne Marie Murphy, Rachel Davino (Adults)
("Kinders", Principal Hochsprung's pet name for these six and seven year olds: Olivia Engel, Emilie Parker, Charlotte Bacon, Daniel Barden, Josephine Gay, Ana Marquez-Greene, Dylan Hockley, Madeleine Hsu, Catherine Hubbard, Chase Kowalski, Jesse Lewis, James Mattioli, Grace McDonnell, Jack Pinto, Noah Pozner, Caroline Previdi, Jessica Rekos, Avielle Richman, Benjamin Wheeler, Allison Wyatt
