Lately it seems that the darkness in this world is increasing at an alarming rate. One news story of tragedy is barely delivered before another pushes it to the category of "old news". The number of significantly awful events has been unnerving over the past few months. The latest, the shooting of innocents as they attended their Sunday morning church service, left me shattered with sorrow. It's not that the other tragedies of floods and fires hadn't already made me grieve for those affected by them, but there was something about this particular incident that hit a deeper nerve. The fact that the pastor's 14 year old daughter was killed and a 6 year old boy seriously injured brought it much closer to home. I have a granddaughter that turned 15 this year and two 6 year old grandsons. They and their cousins regularly attend church on Sundays and Wednesdays, as well as other church sponsored events, with their parents and their grandfather and me.
Adding to the horror of the story, within minutes it became a hotbed of political discussion about gun rights.
But the narrative is NOT about whether or not people have the right to arm themselves against the dangers in this world. It's about the sin that causes people to deliberately harm others, and the response of the Christian community to sin.
When tragedies affect the believer our response has to be different than the world's.
Throughout the Bible there are accounts of sorrow upon sorrow visited upon the children of the LORD. The written record of their ability to turn their eyes away from the difficulty and to trust God's sovereignty, created the road map for each of us to follow.
If we so choose.
I think it is significant to note here that the response of many in the last few months of adversity has been to trust God in spite of the circumstances. Although it may not be recorded as "news worthy" by the reporting news stations, the network of believers have shared the truth through e-mails and social media. I have seen first hand the response to hurricane Harvey by the church we belonged to when we lived in Texas. Even though several within the church suffered their own losses, they banded together in an effort to reach out into the greater community to help. The church became, not only a command post of volunteers who have worked tirelessly to bring repairs to those in need, but far greater, a light in the darkness to those whose only question is "Why?"
I have seen a similar response from those whose lives have been forever altered through the shooting tragedy in Southerland Texas. It isn't coincidence that these events both happened within a short time frame of one another in an area that has been called 'the Bible belt".
Even in the midst of the darkening skies of a sin stained world, God is shining His light. He shines brightest through vessels who are willing to be transparent.
So what's our response going to be when we come face to face with the ever increasing wickedness that tries to hide the truth from those around us?
"If serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve... But as for me and my house we will serve the LORD."(Joshua 24:15 NIV)
And this little light of mine? I'm going to let it shine!
May God grant you the courage and strength necessary to become a transparent vessel He can use, and may He bless you exceedingly, abundantly above all you can ask or think.
To Him be the glory forever.
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