OOhhh! I feel such anguish. What a tragic, tremendous loss occurred in the US today! There are more details to come, I'm sure, but the basic report is: a young man shot his father, then shot his mother and dozens of little children at a primary school.
The news and facebook and twitter feeds are filled with venting, hurting, crying, and opinions, lots and lots of opinions.... Here in Australia, "Isn't it about time for America to tighten gun control?" , in the Midwest, "Children could have been protected if staff were allowed to have guns in schools.", and "This would not have happened if we had God and Bibles in our schools."
And while all of these points will be the mud trudging in days to come, my personal heaviness lies with the young shooter, Adam Lanza. I feel so deeply sad and sorry for him. Don't get me wrong, I know that sweet, little, innocent babes were murdered at his hands, parents are mourning, and other innocent children and teachers have to learn to deal with the memory of this tragic event.
I used to be the teacher of a pre-k class. I LOVE little children! I love being around that limitless imagination, cheerful chatter, and trusting hearts. But think on this, Adam used to be one of those children.
What happened? How could such darkness be inside of him? People who hurt, hurt people. Did anyone know how deeply he was hurt? Did anyone try to help him?? Did he have no hope or vision for a good future? Who hurt him? What was he like as a child? What dreams did his parents have for him? Was he loved well? Was he ever introduced to the love and freedom that is offered by Christ??
I can't help but be reminded about the story of the good Samaritan. See, there was man (a Jew) traveling along the road when he was met by thieves who stripped him and left him half dead. Then traveling were some religious men, they pretended not to notice, walking on the other side and leaving him for dead. Then came a Samaritan (who were enemies of Jews) and he had compassion on the man, soothing him and binding up his wounds then he took him somewhere to get care and paid for it!
We as the church should conduct ourselves similarly. Value the lives of people who are a mess. Pray for them. Point them in the direction of help and hope.
There is such hurt in the earth today (The name Adam means earth)and the only remedy is this: LOVE.
I love your heart, I have been blessed to know you personally and know without a doubt that this post comes from a place of pure love and caring. That being said, I have to say that although I can appreciate this man's suffering, I fail to find his choice to take so many innocents along with him on his decent into hell justifiable. I have dealt with my own demons of alcohol and depression and have never dreamt of hurting another. I have cared for many, in the nursing field, who suffer with mental disorders and even tho they are disabled, they still have morals and values of a civilized society. I do feel for this young man, really I do. However, there is nothing that can justify his actions. No one will ever know his heart and why he chose to take those poor babies with him to the grave. I am convinced that society and the media fed into his illness. According to reports he suffered from Asbergers syndrome....good enough, he was sick. However, that is not enough to bring solace to the hurting families and the babies that won't see Christmas this year. Presents under the tree that will never be opened and 27 lives that ceased to exist because of this man. I don't know his life, his illness, or what demons he was fighting but I cannot see any goodness in a man that would choose to kill so many innocent people. You are a better person than I if you can. I pray for the gunman but I cannot understand and at this point, I don't have sympathy. Many suffer mental illness but evil is simply evil, no explanation.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment! and I know that sin and such murder are enemies of God, and that it would be better that a millstone be tied around his neck and he be cast into the sea than to bring harm to little ones. I have been told that my mercy 'gift' goes overboard. I, too, have struggled with some deep wounds and depression, and I have seen miraculous healings from deep anxieties, mental disabilities, wheelchairs, and more! But many cases of such deeply disturbed people were inflicted by pain from someone else (and so on)and they needed help. I certainly do not excuse what this man did! I just wonder if it could have been prevented, did believers turn a blind eye to someone in need of help? I know we can't rid the whole world of such evil, but it is our job to bring hope and healing. Hopefully we can do that to a far greater degree than the power of society and media.
ReplyDeleteYou assume this young man was void of the word of God? Have you chose to ignore the pain suffered by children in the name of God or by those who 'represent' God?
ReplyDeleteStep ouy from behind the excuses of the Bible and join the Human Race.
Hmm...maybe I've spoken too soon on this matter. I am mourning the loss of these babies. I just cannot fathom the deep grief that these parents are going through! This was meant more in the line of future prevention...People are yelling about gun control and I don't think that would help the root of the problem. That guy was sick and needed help, maybe when he was 5 or 10. I really don't know the details of his matter at all. Is it delusional to think that such dark evil could have been stamped out before it escalated to this?
ReplyDeleteWe don't see this sort of thing happening in other countries, Gun control must have something to do with it. The mixed messages that are sent out in the form of double standards, by Parents, by TV and film and by Governments, only tend to confuse. We cried for those affected by this horrific event along with President Obama. As I'm sure all those with children have.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, we need to understand how we can prevent these things from happening, but because there are children in unhappy families, without love and caring, we are going to see them grow into bitter and unfeeling adults. I think the work that is being done to address child abuse is a start, we also need to address the hurt and hate. Meanwhile, let's take away the weapons. Or have a tough Psychological profile test, but lets keep them away from kids.
Good points! And yeah, I'm really starting to rethink the whole gun control thing. Not because guns are the problem but because the condition of people with access to them is getting terrifyingly worse and worse. I read that those automatic weapons were registered to the guy's mum. Not sure why she would need to have such things around...nor while you have a disturbed son!
ReplyDeleteWhen you talk of the bitter, unfeeling people, those are the ones that I want to be mindful of. That is what I'm talking about here. I don't think they are hopeless cases. I just wanted to share how compelled I feel that we don't write people off. But even a smile, a kind word or deed, prayer, a point in the right direction can help (even if just a little) to show that their life matters and in turn they will hopefully regard the lives of others. x
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