Jesus wept: three loving responses to Sandy Hook
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Written by cjhammon in Features, Life in Yesterday's Clothes
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The King of heaven and earth shed tears when his friends mourned. If that was true while He was here on earth, then it must forever be so. I hope you find as much comfort in that as I do as you consider the families affected by the violence in Sandy Hook last week.
What can we do?
Have you been struggling with this question as much as I have? I can only think of three things:
Mourn. Without dwelling on the unspeakable way in which these things happened, we can think and pray about these families who are forever changed by something they couldn’t control.
Comfort. Send cards and expressions of sympathy. Let families know how their grief has touched us. Here’s an address where you can send cards: Sandy Hook Elementary School , 12 Dickenson Drive, Sandy Hook, CT, 06482
Act. Whatever great void or evil causes such tragedies, there is only one response that will matter. Help someone who is neglected, poor or disenfranchised. Love someone who has not been loved enough.
Let this be the year that we do more than donate money to the needy or volunteer to feed the homeless on Christmas Day. Money and donations are always helpful. But the hard truth is that most charities have Christmas covered. What they most need are volunteers to cover the other 364 days of the year.
I plan to volunteer for a charity in Indianapolis that helps families who have suffered from domestic violence. What are the charities that most speak to your heart?
Life is short. Do the good stuff.
4 comments
Jill said:
December 17, 2012 at 1:50 pm
The event made me so sad. I have been continuously praying for not only these families but also the families of the other children impacted. I imagine there are children who lost their childhood best buddy or their next door neighbor. The brothers and sisters of the children who perished. The first responders, the people who witnessed this event that will be forever in the back of their mind. I told my husband if I was one of the parents of those children I would probably have nightmares. We need to pray for this generation of young adults that see this type of activity as a way out. When I was in my early 20’s if I had a bad day I never would have thought any of these thoughts and I am sure many people I know are feeling the same way. It is not the guns or the drugs or the mental illness to be blamed. It is the sense of entitlement many of these young people have that has turned them into the type that goes on these rampages. We need to put them in our prayers and as a nation we need to figure out how to manage this crisis of conscious. Oh Crystal, my apologies for the rant, I just am heartbroken over the senselessness of the events of recent days.
cjhammon said:
December 18, 2012 at 9:29 pm
Jill, no need for apologies. I second your emotions. We didn’t have these incidents thirty years ago. And so, one can only ask, “What has changed?” You’ve nailed it. If only a law COULD fix these problems. I fear it’s much more complex than that. Peace…
Jeannie@gracefully50 said:
December 17, 2012 at 8:05 pm
Amen.
cjhammon said:
December 18, 2012 at 9:21 pm
Thank you, Jeannie.