In light of last weekend's tragic violence in Tuscon, Arizona, I have been praying for the families and churches in their efforts to comfort the grieving. Whenever such an event strikes a community, there are seldom any clear answers for the pain and suffering of those involved.
As I have been following the media coverage, I have noticed some typical trends. First, many on the political left began to insinuate or outright state that the harsh anti-government rhetoric coming from some conservatives was to blame. Then, after more information revealed that such a connection could NOT be made, conservatives struck back by pointing out that according to mounting evidence, it seemed that the shooting suspect was more in line with extreme non-conservative ideology (Communism, atheism, nihilism, etc.).
Of course, the gun-control activists immediately began to shout about the need for tougher gun laws - to which the other side reminded the public that guns cannot be blamed for killing people any more than cars can (a perspective with which I happen to agree). And in the midst of it all, there is a (probably needful) debate now raging about whether our society is addressing issues of mental illness as seriously as we should be.
I'm not able to say anything authoritatively about that last issue, but what this entire tragedy has demonstrated to me above all else is the call for the Body of Christ to be more alert to the struggles of people around us. I believe that Jared Loughner should be held responsible for his actions and punished to the full extent of the Law. At the same time, I am bothered by the increasing evidence which suggests that Tuscon might have been spared of Jared's actions had family, friends, law-enforcement and the Body of Christ taken his unusual temperament more seriously.
It causes me to do a real gut-check and ask myself - are there people in my life that I intentionally avoid because they are too "weird" or "inconvenient" for me? Are there blind-spots in my day-to-day hurriedness which cause me to miss out on opportunities to minister to those who are struggling spiritually or psychologically? I'm almost positive that the answer is at least SOMETIMES yes. What about you? Any thoughts or comments are welcome....
This event has really had an affect on me, I mean I don't know anybody involved but I've been pretty emotional about the whole thing mostly because of the little girl, that has left me absolutely sick.
ReplyDeleteWhat makes me more sick is how the left media has considered him to be an anti-government conservative and the right has called him a pot smoking liberal. Nobody has any evidence as to what party he aligns himself with and even if we did does it matter?
This world needs love, God's love but we the people need to reach these people to introduce them to what God's love is all about. The 24 hour MSNBC/Fox news cycle has become toxic and it's been demonstrated highly since Saturday morning with all the finger pointing. We're allowing pundits to shape our thoughts before anybody can do any research on their own. This was an opportunity for us to come together for the very country that we claim we love but we have failed by dividing ourselves even further by allowing the focus to be on Sarah Palin and how this could hurt her 2012 bid rather than mental instability.
I am so mad at everyone right now, but more of an upset mad. As much as I want to throw my hands up in the air and scream "they'll never get it" I know what I need to do is go out into the world and demonstrate the beauty of love like these people have never seen before.
Good thoughts Ryan! Thanks for chiming in. Always love hearing from you!
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