Mornings like this are staggering to wake up to. During the night while most of us were sleeping soundly…a gunman wreaked havoc on innocent movie-goers in Aurora Colorado killing 12 and injuring over 50 people. The news came like a punch in the stomach. My own 3 kids and their friends were sitting front and center of the big premier of The Dark Knight Rises Batman movie. I fell asleep trusting they were safely tucked inside of the AMC Theater 25 minutes from my house. Granted, we live in Indiana and Colorado is thousands of miles away….it still sent sickening shock all through my body.
Why would a person do something like this? We may never know. Was there no clues to the darkness of this young man's soul? No one noticed he was in any way disturbed? All we can do now is pray for those affected by this horrible act of violence. Families are hurting and need the support and compassion that each of us can offer. Don't miss an opportunity to pray for strangers. God is sure to hear every whispered word.
As I write this post, I'm listening to the story of Jessica Ghawli (Redfield) who was killed during the movie mayhem early this morning. She was an aspiring sportscaster who worked for the sports website Busted Coverage. She also was a near miss victim of the deadly mall shooting in Toronto just last month (June 2). Thanks to a strange feeling, she felt compelled to go outside. Because of this, she missed the shooting that took the life of one and injured 7 others. Jessica had written about the experience and described how she couldn't grasp the fact that she escaped such a close call with death.
Jessica's story is mindnumbing. Her family is left with questions and the never ending ache of her loss. Only God can heal the broken hearts reeling from this tragedy. May He blanket each of them and hold them up as they walk through what may be the darkest period of their lives.
On this late July summertime Friday….with all the expectations of family fun this weekend, don't forget to hold the ones you love a little longer and to cherish the time you have with them. Death is like a thief in the night, it strikes when we least expect it.
Holy God In Heaven,
Our hearts are breaking watching the news unfold from Colorado. Please work in the lives of the victims struggling to survive and those left with the tragic loss of loved ones. Nothing about this event makes sense but we trust that YOU are in control. Help us to understand…and fill us with compassion. Surround these families with love and support and let your glory shine bright.
Amen