Shifting Focus

Another mass killing. More loss of life. I can’t even begin to imagine the pain so many families are going through this week having to try and process the loss of these young children and teachers so close to the end of school because a young man made a poor decision. There are no words except words to offer up to God in hopes that He can wrap His arms around them in love. 

I also can’t imagine the pain and the shame the parents of the young man who did this are experiencing. Even though 18 is an adult in the eyes of the law, 18 is still SO young with so much life left to live. For him to have made this decision and not think about the long term effects is both angering and beyond sad. I hope that God has mercy on him if he was indeed mentally unstable. It’s no excuse though. 

That’s what I feel like we have become - a country of excuses. No one takes responsibility for anything anymore. Mass shootings happen and it’s the gun makers fault - never mind the person that actually pulled the trigger. They were obviously not stable so why would anyone make it easy for them to get a gun (sarcasm)? We should just ban guns for all. Oh wait, criminals don’t follow laws? Well, if we get guns “off the streets”, they won’t be able to get them (cuz black markets for guns don’t exist) so they won’t be able to hurt anyone anymore. Oh wait, they can use knives? Well, if we ban knives too and take them away from everyone, they won’t be able to hurt anyone. Oh wait, they can use a bat? A car? A 2x4? We just need to take away any tool that could be used to harm anyone. 

Newsflash - Cain killed Able with no tool that we're told of. It could have been a rock or his hand, but all we’re told is that he overpowered him and murdered his brother. So does it really matter what method or tool was used? Was it the rock or stick or whatever was used that killed Able? Was it the gun that killed 21 people in Uvalde? No. It was the person with the motive.

I have guns in my house. I’m continuously working on overcoming my ingrained fear of the actual tool, even when it’s just sitting there. Yes, a gun is a very powerful TOOL and should be handled with the utmost care and respect for what someone can do with it (same with a car). Just because someone can use it for evil and harm does not mean that the thing itself is evil or harmful. A gun can't go off without someone to pull the trigger. A car can’t crash into another without someone behind the wheel. A spoon can’t make someone fat without someone holding it and using it. Do you get my point? These are all just TOOLS! God didn’t focus on what tool Cain used to kill Able, because it didn’t matter. What that story tells us (and so many other stories of violence throughout our history as mankind) is that it’s the person, and more importantly, the heart behind the act. 

What was the heart like of this 18 year old young man who literally fought police before going into this school to kill 21 people? What was the heart like of the man who walked into a grocery store and started killing people? What was the heart like of the person that walked into a church and started murdering worshippers? How about, instead of shouting for more gun reform or more security, we take a step back to look at the real problem: the heart problem. 

Our country has no problem with pushing God right out of the picture and deciding their own moral code, but then when tragedy strikes, it’s quick to cry out for justice and mercy. From who? Without God, there is no justice or mercy. We’re at the hands of man, which don’t have the most stellar track records. You want to know why this keeps happening? You’ve make it quite clear that you don’t want God anywhere in this country. Morality is looked at as a personal decision. YOLO is touted as a lifestyle. Everyone is doing what is right in their own eyes. Read the book of Judges and tell me how that worked out for them. 

It’s not too late though. God is right there in the wings waiting for everyone to turn back around and realize just how stupid it is to try and do this without him. He is the answer. He’s the only answer. We can try and bang our heads against the wall to think of how to stop evil from happening in our country, or we can take responsibility for it because we have done this to ourselves, and we can look to Him and His word to try and reform this country. We can start right here, right now, in our homes. We can start in our communities, in our schools, in our churches. We can start by being more concerned with the wellbeing of others above ourselves. We can start by trying to outdo one another in service for others. We can show love. We can show compassion. We can teach these to our children and others. We can show Jesus. It's true - it won’t ever completely eradicate evil because Satan is always roaming around like a lion, looking for more souls to devour. He is powerful and cunning, probably more than we realize. Even Jesus became a "victim" of men controlled by Satan's devious plots, but the difference between him and us is that he overcame and defeated death because that was all part of God's plan. We're not Jesus or God so we can't claim to defeat death, but we don't have to. He's already done it so all we have to do is realize that we NEED God to help us and that He's already done the hardest work in this. He did it FOR us. Why wouldn't you want to live in honor of someone who gave their own life for your soul? 

There will continue to be evil and tragedy and pain and suffering until the end of the world. This is a guarantee. But there will also continue to be hope and peace and love to try and combat those as long as we know where to look to get them. We need God. Plain and simple. Trying to make it more complicated than that will only cause more heartache and confusion. 

"Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free. The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?" - Psalm 118:5-6