My God.....there are no words.
My heart hurts for Las Vegas this morning. It's hard to find words to say. In case you're living in a cave and haven't seen the news a madman in Las Vegas Nevada on October 1st opened fire on a crowd killing tens of people.
Trying to see some sort of rationale
A person almost wants it to be ISIS (which at this point in time looks ridiculously unlikely). For all intents and purposes this man did not fit the demographic. Perhaps it's evidence of "white privilege", but there's no reason why any law enforcement agency would suspect him. There's a part of me that thinks it would feel better if this man were a radical Muslim. My brain could more easily process that. But the fact that he had the profile of your typical salt-of-the-earth individual makes it so much more painful in my eyes. You hear about young white men going insane, such as is the case with the Aurora Colorado mass shooting. But this is a man who by all rights could be my dad. He had no criminal history. No apparent motive. As of yet there is no determined vendetta. It simply makes no sense.
The Temptations we face
It's very tempting, being this disconnected from things, to want to somehow turn around and make it be about myself. It's difficult to not look at this, and irrationally make myself out to be some form of victim. However to do so would be a great injustice to those who are truly affected by this monstrous calamity.
The other temptation is to turn this political. By this I mean on both sides of the spectrum. I get it. This isn't simply a case of a gun getting into the hands of a likely madman. As of this point in time there's no known reason for him taking this action. There are no known links to terrorism. On this side of the shroud there is no reason for this to occur. Some will say this is the result of too many guns. Others will say this is the result of too few.
While I will not participate in the politicizing of this event, I will say that I don't believe it's merely guns that are the problem. There is a larger issue at play here. I would argue it's a spiritual one. Regardless the the problem, it's important that we as a nation not simply treat the symptoms. We need to cure the disease. Those who would premeditate violence among peace will find a way to do so, with or without guns. Mass shootings are the symptom.
Where do we go from here?
Honestly, I've got nothing. It's days like this I don't blame atheists for their point of view. After all how can any type of an omnipotent intelligent mind willingly allow something like this to happen? If I, in my limited mortal wisdom, possessed the foreknowledge and capability I would have prevented this disaster.
This is the part where I'm supposed to have some sort of a witty philosophical remark. Probably follow that up with a Bible verse. Probably throw in some stock background artwork including a dove with some sun rays shining through the clouds.
However, this morning I have nothing. I have no wisdom. I have no comfort to offer. My heart aches for the victims and the loved ones in this massacre. It is my prayer that our government will work together, bipartisan, and please try to restore some sanity in our society.
Maybe on a different day I would try to offer some kind of insight, or some type of rationalization to help make sense of all this. Perhaps in the days to come I would have such a thought. However now I just sit in disbelief. Perhaps we're not meant to know the answers, or the reasons why things occur. It is my prayer that there will be healing in this land and that the forces that would seek to divide us will not succeed.
Final Thought
If you're reading this, know this is a terrible day. Know that I, being a believer in Jesus Christ and His infinite power, knowledge, goodness, and wisdom, do not myself claim to know any of the answers. If you, the reader, are a person of faith, whether in Jesus or something else, rather than simply talking about "thoughts and prayers", rather seek to pray for inspiration in how you may be the answer to prayer for someone in need. Give blood. Donate money. Give clothing and food to the needy. The Bible is very clear in this, that true faith is evident through positive deeds.
Be the answer to some else's prayer.
