An Act of Evil

Driving to work this Monday morning, my mind began to drift towards the families of the lost children in Newtown, CT. An act of evil, so unthinkable, that one would slaughter innocent children presumably safe in their school classroom. I still can’t wrap my mind around it. I watch a school bus go by and I began to think of what those last moments with the lost children were like. Those last fleeting moments as parents sent their children to school, unknowing of the tragedy to come. As a new parent I know how busy mornings can be. Time is swift and there seems to be barely enough of it to kiss your kid good bye for the day or say I love you. I can imagine how these parents of the fallen will linger over moments lost to a forever memory. Children scrambling to get dressed or brush their teeth and grabbing a quick breakfast before they head quickly out the door. My heart aches. We as a nation are filled with anger and quick to react to make sure this never happens again. There is only one answer. It’s not less or more gun control or more pad locks on school doors. The answer is not hidden in mystery. The answer is simply, Jesus Christ. A close friend tells of how he always prays over his children that the schemes of the enemy be revealed. Friday, in a small town in Connecticut, evil made a horrific visit. The Word of God says the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). I’m reminded how as Christians, we must be vigilant to seek God in our lives, for our families, for our friends, and to seek God for the communities in which we live. And yes, we must allow God back in our schools. It does not mean that evil will not come again. It simply means we are inviting God back in to where we so often have shut him out. My fear amongst this tragedy and I speak for myself as well as our nation is that once the media coverage has moved on to the next big story, the kids have returned to school, the dust has settled and Newtown becomes a fading memory in our hearts, where will God be? Will we seek him for the day to day, we will invite him? We must. Our lives depend on it.