Weeping with Those Who Mourn

As mourners gather memorializing the lives and grieving the loss of those shot down by a a hate-filled gunman at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland, Florida, our nation pauses in shock, one more time, and considers how to bring such senseless slaughter to an end.  People of good conscience weep with the survivors of this massacre and sense the outrage over the fact that this is becoming an all too often repeated tragedy. We pray for the families of the slain, the students and faculty who suffered through the terror, and the wounded that are fighting for their lives.  May the Lord bring comfort, healing, and unity to the people of Parkland.
There is a lot of finger pointing by pundits and politicians, but the problem is actually multi-layered and ultimately finds it’s root in the devaluing of human life.  Place a rifle in the hands of a competitive sport shooter and only paper “bullseye” targets are destroyed as safety procedures are carefully followed.  Place that same rifle in the hands of a person impacted by desensitizing games and other media that glorify killing and that equates slaying our fellow humans with racking up points in virtual reality and you can potentially have real people shot down to assuage one individual’s personal frustrations. When life is not seen as sacred, it’s value can be disregarded.  God created us in His image and bids us to honor and respect that image within ourselves and in others.  May the Lord enlighten our nation.