Thursday, July 31, 2008

Where are we headed?

You hear on the news of horrific accidents and needless wars and slave trading of children.

All of them disturb me, but I guess I can say "fortunately", I am not one involved in these things.

Today though has me baffled and sick of heart and wondering just exactly where society is heading.

Reading the news about the poor young fellow on the bus who was so brutually murdered has my heart sick. It has me aching for this poor boys family, whom he was on his way to see.

How do people get over things like that.

I kept thinking of the many people I know whose children travel by bus....alone sometimes too. Son has gone by bus too, at various times and I guess the fact that he will be traveling back to his home in Winnipeg also this week, it was all just a little too close to home for my liking.

And like most horrific crimes, the accused will be made public, with long trials and such and everyone will know his name and every detail about his messed up life.

Not many will remember the poor boy he murdered and the family left behind to deal with it all......not to mention all the many innocent people who witnessed the crime who will be traumatized for life because of this man's actions.

I know in my heart about forgiveness. I know in my heart there is a God who loves murderers. That same God tells me to forgive and to love the unloved, and the messed up, and the murderer, and the criminal.

What kind of love is it that allows me to do that? Notice I said "allows". He allows us to make love a choice and in that act of love we allow ourselves to love those who don't deserve it.....just like he loves me, me who doesn't deserve it either. We don't always allow ourselves to love those kinds of folks. We spit judgment at them. We hiss their names with contempt. We allow our hearts to harden into concrete blocks.

Enter Jesus.

Mankind did that to Jesus too. We crucified him...... and yet he loved us anyway.

Tonight I shall remember the family of that poor young boy and ask God to give them hearts of compassion. In miraculous ways these acts of love can and do happen. It's a God thing.....and only that.

Change my heart, oh God, and head us all in the right direction.

1 comment:

Linea said...

Here we are stuck in Winnipeg - in the same hotel Greyhound put people up in. Spoke briefly with one of the passengers. They will deal with this trauma in a variety of ways, I guess. What a horrible event. How the family of the young man must grieve! Praying that they will find some comfort to soften their grief. I imagine that will take a long time.