"Jesus wept." (John 11:35)
The shooting in Connecticut has no other proper response.
The cliche many cling to, "Everything happens for a reason" sort of falls apart here.
There is nothing reasonable about this. There are times, as Jesus himself modeled, when the proper response to death is to do nothing but weep.
It's not the only thing He does, though. He did come to set us free from the power of sin and death. The cross of Christ and His Resurrection prove there is a greater headline than the one scrolling across our screens. What we broke in Genesis 3 He will one day restore in Revelation 21.
But for the moment... right now...
"Jesus wept."
Don't get caught up in debates over guns or politics today. Try to not to let your passion and someone else's passion duel and create even more damage.
This is a day of grieving and concern. There are no adequate words, so we must focus less on making sense out of a senseless situation and more about doing something therapeutic that can change us before we try to bring change:
- Mourn: Hearts must be broken for something so broken.. This is a time to pause and comfort those who are struggling.
- Embrace: Come together with hugs in your home and lock arms with those outside your home.
- Pray: Seek God to join him in knowing how to better fulfill our opportunity to reach people for Him... so there might be less shooters operating out of fractured thinking and more restorers who reveal the unseen Kingdom and its King.
- Action: Speak uplifting words and not downcast opinions; support your local school; thank those who keep you safe instead of tearing down the authority over you; quit being a venomous critic who only ushers more back-and-forth destructive energy.
"Jesus wept."
Whether you're a believer, an agnostic or an atheist... surely that's one thing we can all agree on.
