Beautiful Little Angels

"Understanding why God allows someone to choose violence, hate, terror ... is hard. Simplistic answers don't help, either. Life can be devastating, and making sense of suffering like this is never a totally satisfying endeavor ... because from our vantage point we can't see everything we need to see in order to know everything we need to know. Still, we keep the faith, knowing there is hope in the promises of a God who doesn't abandon us in our heartbreak, but in fact weeps with us in our darkest valleys. We turn to God in times like this, because nothing less will do, and deep down we know that the world has no answers for bigger than this world problems. We hold fast to the truth of Jesus' resurrection, because his empty tomb reminds us that death - which appears to be so final - doesn't get the last word. God has our enemies covered. So we pray, "Thy Kingdom come" - where there is no violence and no death ... and we pray, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" - that we might find better ways to protect the most innocent among us right now ... and we pray, "Deliver us from evil" - knowing that, in the end, God's light dismisses the darkness ... and the darkness can never take back the light."
~ Pastor Mike from Lutheran Church of Hope

 

My heart has been breaking, over and over and over since the tragedy at Sandy Hook took place on Friday.  Just like all of America (and other countries) my heart goes out to the community, the families, the beautiful souls that were taken that day. 

Pastor Mike has a way with words, as you can see above.  I think it is SO important in times like these to keep our hope and faith.  We may not understand and we may not ever be able to make sense of what has happened, but God is there. 

It brings a comfort to me to think that God was there in those classrooms, holding the little children close to him as they were taken too soon.  And giving the teachers the courage to put their lives on the line to protect their little ones.  He was in the cabinets and the closets protecting those children and he was in the fire house weeping with the parents who's children did not make it out of school that day.

Today's Starfish

Today, I said extra prayers for those families who have lost their loved ones in Newtown CT.  And I prayed hard.  I prayed for the children and their parents, their brothers and sisters.  I prayed for the teachers and administrators and the people in their lives.  And I prayed for the person who caused this horrific event and I prayed for his family too.  Prayer is powerful.  If you believe in prayer, pray.  If you don't believe in prayer, that is ok.  Just keep these people in your thoughts.