This world is not my home. This world is not my home. This world is not my home.
Those are the words I've been reminded of throughout the day.
The moment I read the headline telling the sick tale of the Connecticut elementary school shooting, my heart stopped. I stopped breathing. Time stopped ticking. My stomach started churning.
My brain was frantic. How could someone do something like this? Who could go into an elementary school and shoot children? Even typing those words makes me want to throw up. Who could look in the eyes of these children and end their lives?
I don't have kids, but I come in contact with them every day. I see the joy that they bring to those around them. Their innocent questions, their grins as they learn new things, their general happiness in life. I can't for a second imagine the immense heartache these parents are undergoing. Their lives have been flipped upside down.
Today, many people will ask "how could a good God allow this to happen?"
We're asking the wrong question. I know that our God is grieving as well. He loves children, He has a heart for them. There is evil in the world. We live in a fallen world. These instances shouldn't make us question God's sovereignty, but instead remind us that our hope comes from Christ. This earth is not our home. For those of us who deeply love the Lord, this is the closest thing we'll experience to hell. This reminds us that life is short. Those parents didn't send their kids to school today knowing that was the last time they'd look in their eyes, give them a hug, or zip up their coat. Our lives are but a vapor in the wind. Each breath could be our last. There is an urgency in our good news(the gospel). We know Hope. We know Life. We know Love. He is our comfort and our solace. This event shouldn't lead us to question God, but to realize what really matters here on earth - Jesus. I know talking about Christ can be "scary", but in the long run I'd rather be known as a Jesus freak than someone who had the good news but didn't share it. Why are we so afraid?
I grieve for the lives lost today. For the children who won't get to open their Christmas presents this year. For the parents who have to live each day feeling the hole their child left in their heart. For the kids who witnessed this tragedy - their lives will never be the same. For the family members of the adults who were also shot today.
I don't have kids of my own, but my heart weeps for those who were effected by this tragedy. I've had campers who were that age & my toddlers at daycare aren't much younger than some of the lives lost today. Their beautiful faces flashed through my head this afternoon. Parents all over the country are holding their children a little closer today, as they're abruptly reminded of the blessing that their child is.
Hold your loved ones close. Comfort those who are grieving. Be reminded that this is not our home. Share Jesus with urgency - we have no idea how much time we really have here on earth. I pray that God would somehow be glorified through this tragedy.
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