Monday April 16th, 2007 was a tragic day. The senseless murders of so many have left us angry, sad, bewildered and filled with questions. What causes someone to do this? Where do we find the comfort and hope we desperately need?
Over and over we have heard that crime like this is inexplicable. On one level this is true. The acts of the killer were beyond comprehension due to their extraordinarily brutal and hideous nature. As far as evil goes this is an extreme picture of it, yet herein lies the problemàevil. It does exist and though our society tries to deny it, after events like the one on the 16th, it is impossible to deny. We’ve seen horrific displays of evil throughout history, but if we’re honest we see evil in ourselves too. For most it thankfully never manifests itself as it did in the killer, but we are fallen people with the same propensity. Granted, his was to an extent that is shocking and inconceivable to most, but evil exists in this world and we must acknowledge this fact if we are to begin to find answers.
So where do we find hope? Comfort in our grief? Hope in fighting evil, hope in healing? Second Corinthians chapter one says that God is the “God of all comfort.” He will give the comfort you need when you need it, and you will in turn be able to extend needed comfort to others. Share your grief with God, be comforted. Then share your hope with others. Also, healing is a process. Don’t rush it. Engage your pain, ask your questions. Don’t hold back; bring your whole being to God as you grieve. Let Him carry you through this time (or any difficult time). He promises to never forsake us or leave us, and even promises a time when He will kneel down and wipe every tear from our eyes. As believers we have the Holy Spirit to minister to us on this earth and it is a small taste of the future glory of being with God in heaven where evil no longer exists, where death is no more.
Tragedies like the one of the 16th make us long for a peace-filled place like this even more. The promise of heaven does exist, but only for those who have turned from their self -run lives and now look to Christ alone as the only way to God. You see, even if our sinfulness never manifests itself as terribly as another’s, we are all still imperfect compared to a perfect God. No human is perfect like God, therefore we are under the penalty of sin, which is death. Not just a physical death but a physical death that leads to a spiritual death of separation from an eternal God. So how does Christ help us? He alone lived a life without sin so He is the only person not deserving death. He alone could take on a penalty for us which he himself didn’t owe. His death alone on a cross some 2000 years ago was the penalty each and every human deserves. In Jesus alone do we find true life. Oh, how I long to be in heaven with Him someday. Until then how I long for people to know the love of God, the sacrifice of Jesus, the offer of true life that is only found in Him and the hope of healing here on earth and a place of perfect peace for all eternity with God in heaven.
Erin
