Last week, a man walked into a high school looking for a group of particular girls. When he found them, he excused all their male peers from the classroom, lined the girls up at the front of the room, molested them and shot one dead as she tried to escape when he raised his gun to fire.A few days later, a 15 year old boy killed his principal. It's not clear whether the man was even his intended target.
When things like this happen, my mind starts working to understand how this won't happen to us. I need to know that I'm making choices that will keep mine from such horrific circumstances. I will admit here that last week I questioned whether girls today -- flirty as they are and provocative as they dress -- are somehow unwittingly causing a spiritual rage inside some men that makes them hate these girls to the point of murder.
I can't ask that this morning.
Yesterday, a man selected an Amish one-room schoolhouse to exact his revenge for a 20-year old hurt that nobody can yet say what it was. He excused (or commanded -- it's not clear) the boys and mothers from the room, lined the girls up at the front of the room and shot them all execution style. They were all of the same age range as my Fifi and Dumpling: 6-13 years old.
It's unfathomable. It's beyond tragic. It's disgusting.
And I believe the gunman's wife when she says that he was a good husband and caring father. I have to believe that this man was possessed by the adversary himself. Surely even the total depravity of man was not enough to commit this crime. The Lord knows.
The worry wart in me tries to compel me to train my girls in how to make an escape from such a scenario. If one could be found, believe me, I would find it.
But there is no escape. Not earthly, anyway. So, I must focus my girls' attention on eternity to survive whatever this world might bring. I must prepare them for life and I must prepare them to face death someday.
Yesterday, for the first time, I honestly and fervently prayed, "Lord, come quickly!"
"...The body they may kill: God's truth abideth still, His Kingdom is forever. Amen."
Final Words In: A Mighty Fortress Is Our God, by Luther
Final Words In: A Mighty Fortress Is Our God, by Luther
12 comments:
I pray that more and more these days.
Maranatha, Lord Jesus! Come quickly!
So, I must focus my girls' attention on eternity to survive whatever this world might bring. I must prepare them for life and I must prepare them to face death someday.
Very poignant thought - but approach this tenaciously. The last thing you want is to create a spirit of paranoia in your children...or in other believers. I hope that doesn't sound harsh. I think there's a fine line between trusting God and being prepared "to face death some day."
I can just see someone, perhaps some younger Christian, taking that quote and running with it - and being in bondage to the idea that they will die tomorrow and are they ready, is their family ready, will they go to hell, will they gain heaven..etc... then it would be a spiritual struggle between trusting that God knows what He's doing and wanting to be in control of even the most extremely adverse situations one could not even imagine.
My heart and spirit were both ill yesterday reading the news reports of the Amish. But it just goes to prove - no one is safe... ever. I think your perspective is a good one though. I just hope it isn't an overboding sense of duty you feel you have to prepare your girls for life and death.
Live the Gospel in your day to day life for the girls, invite them to be a part of your relationship with Jesus - and they will be fully prepared to meet their Saviour, no matter the circumstance.
This comment is supposed to sound reassuring, but I think the tone could be construed as lecturing - please don't take it that way... I'm typing in a hurry... supper is on the stove... LOL
Sarah...I think the only way to prepare for the fact of death IS to LIVE with the ETERNAL focus that we've been studying the apostle Peter was trying to give the new Christians in our CBS study of 1Peter, chapter 1.
Surely I'm not planning to indoctinate my girls on how to die! That's kind of morbid, don't you think? But, as a parent, I can't imagine how one would take their next breath, and the next one after that, knowing that their children had been terrified and tormented to death without benefit of their counsel and comfort. I can only stand the thought if I knew the children were SO close to God that they trusted Him in that moment more than they trusted their fear.
If I or my children ever face danger or death, I want this verse to be on our lips: ...to live is Christ, to die is gain.
It took my breath away when I heard what happened in this Amish school. There is no understanding it. Obviously this man was seriously ill but hid it well.
I prayed for the families of these girls of course but I said a prayer for this man's family, too. I can't begin to imagine how they'll live with what he did.
And I thought you made a very interesting point that this had nothing to do with the ways these girls were dressed or carried themselves. This man simply lost the battle with the dark forces of evil.
I'm with you, GB. My girls have told me that I "preach" too much, but I can't not talk about the hope we have in Christ. Come quickly, Lord!
O come, o come, Emmanuel...
I agree with you. You have to talk about the bad things that can and will happen to people. It doesn't mean you have to scare them, it is just life. Along with teaching them that things happen, you can reassure that God has ordained all things that happen, and he will be right by our side during it all. What about the martyrs? I pray that nothing happens to my children--I can't even imagine, however, I know that God's grace is sufficient during all times. (I hope you understand what I'm saying, I hope I don't come across too morbid, that is not the intent).
This morning we heard a little of what the Amish community says about what happened Monday. Three things are striking: (1) they are beginning the process to forgive (2) They see the shooting as a mercy (my paraphrase) in light of what the gunman was apparently planning to do to those girls during a long siege and (3) it is better that the shooting happened at their school than another because their girls were ready to meet God.
Only by God's grace can one say those things. I'm so convicted. I want my gaze (and my children's gaze) to be that fixed on Jesus!
I wrote a post and linked to yours. Please read and let me know if I sound crazy. I'm not too sure I expressed my thoughts well enough.
I have been awed by the forgiveness of the victims in PA...My heart aches for the gunman's wife/family as well...she was reportedly leading a Bible study when he called her from the school house. God is there and HIS message has actually crossed the air waves of media in the aftermath. That is a bit of light in this horrific darkeness.
Even more ironic: I heard the gunman's wife was leading a "moms in touch" prayer circle in which the mothers of school children (primarily public school children) come together regularly or weekly and pray for their children at school.
The Amish have been an incredible witness for Jesus. They don't believe in the assurance of salvation as I do, but I'm "reformed" enough to know that salvation isn't determined by theology...just trust in the Truth and rebirth by His Spirit.
It's a blessed time for the Church to glorify God!
The thing about this whole mess, is that while I think it's beyond horrible, I feel numbed by all these senseless acts. Hedonism (as it was put in church yesterday) is running rampant through our nation and even through us. I want to weep for these children and families and other's like them all over the nation, but I don't. I have been desensitized.
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