Evil not Tragedy

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I, like many others, have been deeply saddened about the recent events in Newtown, Connecticut.  Twenty young children shot dead.  Six staff members shot dead.  Parent(s) shot dead.  Suicide. And as bad as this event was/is, it annoys me to hear it being referred to as a "tragedy". 

Tragedy implies an accidental event.  Something mournful, a calamity, something unplanned.  Yes this was/is a somber event.  This event came to a tragic conclusion.  But make no mistake:  this event (and others like it) was and is EVIL.

 

2 Timothy 3 (NIV)

3 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. ² People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, ⁴ treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— ⁵ having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.

 

Evil, not because it was the killing of children (although that in itself is a horrible kind of evil).  Evil because it is wicked - and wickedness that caused it. 

There have been assertions that this mass killing in Newtown could have been avoided by having stricter gun controls.  Or better safety in schools.  Or many other ideas.  However, until humans have respect for other human beings and respect for life, nothing will prevent such evil. 

We live in an increasingly selfish world.  "What I think and I want is what I will get.  If I don't like something, I can do whatever I want in order to let my thoughts be made known."  Yes there might be implications for my choice of rage (legal or judicial implications), however "I have rights".  (Lots of talk about rights but not much talk about responsibility.)

On the one hand we hear all about peace and goodwill to one another.  Especially at this time of year.  And then in the next aisle from us in the store we hear someone going over the top because a certain toy that was advertised in the store flyer is no longer available.  People honk their horns because someone isn't going as fast as they'd like them to.  People make rude gestures to others who are in their way.  They huff and puff because they don't get their own way.  Adults act like unruly children.   Young people are rude to the elderly.  Middle-age people look down on the elderly.  Bullying in schools.  Bullying on the internet.  Bullying in the workplace.  Meanness in magazines.  Meanness in comedy. The sentiment "If I don't like you, I will show you, I can do whatever I want" is everywhere, if not in direct words, in attitude. 

We can blame these things on mental health issues, and there is sometimes an element of truth to that also, however in past history, people had mental issues, poverty, and difficult family situations etc. yet these rampages were not the norm -- in fact, they were unheard of.  In other areas of the world, even now, these rampages are not the norm.  Even though mental issues are and were part of life, and guns were a part of life, people respected others, and lived more respectful lives.  They recognized other people's property and respected that it didn't belong to them, to do with it what they felt like.  Yes there were the rebels.  Those who didn't care.  But there was a standard of expection in society, based on the God's Word.

 

People respected other peoples' children and even looked out for them.  Some still do (think the teachers at the Newtown school), but there is this mentality all around that "I will get what I need for me and mine and who cares about others anymore."  How sad.

We live in a society that glorifies violence and then works to protect those affected by violence.  Movies, television, and video games often depict the fight between evil and good - and often senseless killings are shown, over and over.  We are desensitized to the killings.  Our society even "decorates" homes with human hangings, tombstones and whatever else on Halloween each year.  (Halloween revenue is second only to Christmas in our society! $6 BILLION US in 2009.)

We cannot change people.  We can wish and wish for peace and happiness, but until hearts are changed, hearts become loving towards others, truly changed - and only changed by God - there will never be true love in this world.  Oh some will be loving.  Some will be caring.  But evil will reign. 

Sadly nothing will bring back these children (or the many others who have been senselessly killed in similar evil).  Nothing will bring back the child-like innocence in those who survived the killings but will live with the implications of living through such a nightmare.

 2 Chronicles 7:14

¹⁴ if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
 

Lord, turn our hearts to you.
Heal our land.  

The Ugly Tears Story

(Martin Keus Photography)

"THE UGLY TEARS", yah I never thought I'd actually voluntarily share this photo...but there's such a good story behind it so I needed to share it.

This past summer our oldest child, our son, got married.  It was a new experience for us, and an exciting one too.  THAT moment had arrived - the moment that one of our children actually gets married.  An event that I'd always envisioned - even when he was a child.  We always talked to our children about their futures - "when you get married, if that is the Lord's will for you..."  Having it arrive was exciting and humbling. 

Of course any mom would be emotional at such an event, and since I'm an emotional person anyway, I knew I didn't stand a chance of avoiding tears.  But I didn't think that my tears would be a torrent! I really didn't. 

When I was walking down the aisle with Andrew Peter just moments before he said his wedding vows, I glanced up at him and in that split second it was like God was saying to me "See, I had my hand on him the whole time!" and I saw the time when I was first pregnant with him and had started bleeding (6 weeks). I had an ultrasound to see if I was miscarrying ... but instead we saw his heart beating! ... In that split second, at the wedding, all my doubts from back in 1988 were shown to me ... it was humbling and amazing.

You see, the bleeding didn't stop.  It kept going and I waited to miscarry.  I wish I could say that I trusted God's provision for my life, but I didn't as I should have.  My faith was weak.  I hoped.  I wished.  I thought about other things.  And I tried to have faith.  Even when things seemed impossible. 

But I didn't totally trust. 

It was humbling to see myself way back then fretting and fearing, trusting in God but not the trusting that He wants and requires of us and that we're silly not to do. 

better days, 1989,
closer to delivery

And yet He still carried me all the way.

It's hard to explain but it has been amazing to see the tapestry that God has been weaving in our lives - a lot unseen by us - but He was always there, weaving His plans for us.

God not only provided for my life - He caused my pregnancy to proceed, albeit too "eventful" for my liking.  He provided us with a well-born son and our first child.  (And we realize that sometimes providing us with what we want isn't God's will - we did lose two unborn children and went through a total of five similar pregnancies.) But God provided our son with his faith in God, He blessed our feeble efforts as parents and made them good, He blessed my failings as a homeschool mom and teacher, and He answered our many prayers for our son's future wife ... He provided a good and godly wife for our son!

How could I not feel humbled?  Feel awed? 
Feel HELD by His hands?

He provided this experience to us and He has used that awful experience for His glory. Through it we have been given an empathy for others - for the value of unborn children, for an understanding of the angst that couples go through, couples who really, really would love to have their child in their arms one day.   And we were given a huge love for children - our own and others. 

It was an awesome experience to feel things come full circle.  To see way back then in the light of today's faith and spiritual growth.  And to view the future with the knowledge of my weak faith years ago, knowing that today's faith is also likely a weak faith in the future!  God grows our faith by our trusting in Him. 

I pray that this experience causes my heart to trust God more and more in my life! 

Standing Up for Life

 

This year we did something different - something that we've never done before: we attended a political rally in Ottawa. 

Not that we've never been political - we've written letters to the government about various issues, both to local governments and to our federal government.  We've made phone calls to officials.  We've filled out petitions and surveys.  We've even called and written to radio shows and newspapers and magazines.  But this was different.

This was standing out - making a political stand.  In public.  In a crowd (of close to 20,000 people!).  On Parliament Hill.

And it was awesome!

It was awesome to be surrounded by so many who were like-minded.  I'm sure we all didn't agree exactly - but we were all there for one reason: to stand up for those who cannot speak for themselves.  To stand up for life - from conception to natural death.

And a loud message was sent to Parliament.  We need a federal law regarding abortion in Canada.

It is sobering that in a world where we work to save the whales, save the trees and save whatever else - we kill our own unborn children.  In the name of  "choice" and "rights".  And the government covers the cost!  Many in Canada (and outside of Canada, I'm sure) don't realize that Canada ranks the same as China and North Korea in it's lack of protection for the unborn. 

We live in a country that won't cover the cost of routine eye examinations, some necessary drugs, eye glasses and other such necessary items - and items which are less costly than abortions, yet abortions are funded over and over! 

When Canada got it's constitution, our abortion laws were deemed "unconstitutional" and Parliament was asked to deal with the issue.  In 1988 (when I was expecting our first of five babies) it was brought up in Parliament, and yet Parliament failed to restrict abortions.  And we have sat since then without any protections.  Back in 1988 I couldn't deal with this issue: I'd seen our unborn baby's heartbeat at 6 weeks and knew he was a living being - how could people kill their unborn children?  While I was trying to hang on to my pregnancy due to complications - the rhetoric went on and on..."At what time is a fetus a human being?", "What about women's choice?"  "Women's bodies; women's choice".  As our baby grew, and as I felt him move within me (and eventually his siblings) - I still heard the rhetoric being debated back and forth and I was ashamed.

Abortion is not the answer.  There ARE alternatives.  Chastity.  Adoption. 

Will Parliament listen?  I  hope and pray so.  For the sake of our society, for our families, for our race. 

Read more: http://weneedalaw.ca/
Canada has NO abortion LAWS!

Canada is the only country in the western world without abortion legislation. Only China and North Korea are in our company.

The mission of weneedaLAW.ca is to build a groundswell of support from across Canada for abortion legislation.

10 Ways to Love

< working on it ... >

Old Memories, New Realities

"I Just Love Jesus and He Wants Me to Help You"

I love Proverbs 31 devotions! I receive them on my smartphone and sometimes I don't have the time to read them. So I save them for when I have some waiting time - like at a doctor's appointment. Yesterday I read this one and ended up re-reading it at our evening dinner devotion time. I love the reason that she gave for helping and had to share it here! (thank you to my faithful readers - sorry I haven't updated - somehow life always takes over and blogging gets put at the bottom of the to-do list!) D

Lumping and Loving
Karen Ehman
“Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.” Philippians 4:5 (NLT)

I usually cringe at generalizations … stereotypes. Lumping an entire group of people into a confining box. Like “The ________ (nationality) are so ________ (bad character trait)” or “Those ________ (age group) all are so ________ (strange habit or behavior).” However, every once in a while a compliment is paid in the lumping.

Recently, as I waited in line at a coffee house, a frail, elderly woman stood in front of me ordering a meal. She seemed distressed as she fumbled for her change, paid the worker, and then gathered up her bag of food and her drink. As she headed for the door, her large purse began swinging off of her shoulder, nearly knocking her, and all of her lunch, to the floor. “Oh … how am I going to do this? Oh my … oh dear … I can’t …” she mumbled to herself, trying to shift her weight and her cargo while pushing open the door at the same time.

Though I’d just finally reached the front of the line, God used today’s key verse to tap me on the heart and shift my momentary schedule. I quickly hopped out of line. “Here, let me get that for you,” I uttered as I held the door open and steadied her drink. “Would you like me to carry your food to your car?” She stopped in her tracks, her bright blue eyes looking up at me with gratefulness. “Oh dear … you must have a grandmother living that you’re so kind to an old woman.”
“No ma’am, I don’t,” I answered. “I just love Jesus and He wants me to help you.”
Read the rest here: http://devotions.proverbs31.org/?s=lumping+and+loving

Power Verse:
Proverbs 31:26, “She opens her mouth with wisdom, And on her tongue is the law of kindness.” (NKJV)