It was a
personal tragedy - the parents of the murdered children will never forget. The
memory will fade for everyone else; the other children; the teachers; the
townspeople; but the parents of the children killed will never forget. There
will never be a day that they do not remember.
There was
nothing "national" about this event. It was not a political act; it
was not an act against the city government, or the state government, or the
federal government. It was not an act against the people of the city, state, or
nation.
It was a
tragedy. It would have been a tragedy if only one child had been killed. The
tragedy was magnified because so many were killed. But, children are killed
everyday in cities all over the country; some of them have not even been born.
This is
the world we live in. Such tragedies seem like a violation of the natural
order, but they are the natural order. It is only through the mercy of God that life
has not descended into the absolute chaos which the entrance of sin brought
into creation. Occasionally, God lifts his hand of mercy to reveal the true
nature of our world. This does not, and should not diminish the heartbreak that
such tragedies engender. In fact, it should increase our hatred of the sin that
lies behind every tragedy.
It is
sickening that the usual suspects intruded into the sadness of this event to
advance their misdirected agenda. Not just the gun control maniacs, but the
misguided Christians like Mike Huckabee who try to find a linkage to removing
God from public schools. Have these people no compassion? Have they no shame?
The children are not yet buried; the parents have not yet had time to mourn and
grieve.
The
ceaseless, mind-numbing media coverage and analysis betrays a kind of
voyeurism; a kind of national obsession. If there is a national aspect to this
tragedy, it is the attempts by politicians to declare the cause and cure. The
loving thing to do in such circumstances is to look away; to let the real
victims heal and to be silent.
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