There is nothing I can say that has not already been said about the tragedy that happened in Newtown, Connecticut. My initial reaction was anger. While many were/are angry at God, I was angry at the situation. I was mad at the young man who committed the murders. I then became overwhelmed with sadness for the victims and their families. I was pained by the emotions that came from knowing that children the age of my own had lost their lives.
As with any tragedy, there will be debates and politicizing of everything from the way the news handled publicity to mental health issues and gun control. Families are consoled and are covered in prayer for a time, but their pain will more than likely outlast the comforting arms of the general public.
Say what you want of President Obama, but his speech at the memorial service tonight pointed towards God as the solution.
Here are some quotes that not only gave me more respect for him, but pointed out that we are not going about it the right way. Sometimes directly, and often indirectly, President Obama pointed towards God as the only hope for our nation. He started with Scripture. Change starts with God.
Scripture tells us, “Do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, inwardly, we are being renewed day by day. For light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all, we fix our eyes on not what is seen, but what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal…”
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We can’t do this by ourselves… No matter how much you love these kids, you can’t do it by yourself.
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No single law, no set of laws can eliminate evil from the world or prevent every senseless act of violence in our society…
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We know that, no matter how good our intentions, we’ll all stumble sometimes in some way. We’ll make mistakes, we’ll experience hardships and even when we’re trying to do the right thing, we know that much of our time will be spent groping through the darkness, so often unable to discern God’s heavenly plans. There’s only one thing we can be sure of, and that is the love that we have… a love that takes us out of ourselves and binds us to something larger, we know that’s what matters.
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“Let the little children come to me,” Jesus said, “and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Obama, Barack. Memorial Service Speech. Newtown High School, Newtown, CT. 16 December 2012.
The answer is throughout the President’s speech. While it seems that President Obama thinks that the solution is a nation working together, Jesus Christ is the only Savior. The “something larger” that he refers to is The LORD our God. All I can do is pray and share the love of Jesus Christ with whomever He brings into my life. I pray that God gives a peace to the families of Newtown that goes far beyond anything we can hope to understand. I pray that God will speak directly to the people who are angry with Him that this tragedy happened. And I pray that I never have to hear about another tragedy like this for the rest of my life.