Connecticut

From Paul McQuerry: On days like today, with the tragic news of the mass murder at a grade school in Connecticut, I just shake my head, beat my breast, and wonder "Why?" and "How can someone do such a thing? How can anyone think such an action is the right thing to do?" I pray and and ask my Father in heaven "How and why do these tragedies occur?" I cry out to Him and say, "Father, these are children! What have they 

ever done to warrant such a tragedy?" I then receive a special feeling in the depths of my soul which assures me that God is not ignorant of the events that have transpired, nor is He pleased by them, but rather His heart breaks much more violently than ours as His beloved creation has been devastated as one has profaned it and Him with his disgusting display of violence. The Lord then leads me to II Kings 21 and the story of the Judean king Manasseh. In the narrative, the narrator tells of how Manasseh fully instituted the sacrifice of "innocent blood"- or the sacrifice of children, namely babies, for burnt offerings to the idol Baal. The narrator tells of how the shedding of innocent blood enraged God. Then God had me turn to the corresponding story in II Chronicles 33 and how God had Manasseh captured, impaled with hooks, and bound with chains by the commanders of his own army. In my anger and desire for justice, I cheer. But then God leads me to read the remainder of the story, which tells of Manasseh repenting of his sin, and crying out to the Lord, and how the Lord heard his cry of repentance and forgave Manasseh. The Lord, as plain as any voice I have heard in my life said to me, "Paul, my child, THIS is my desire. I desire repentance and not violence. My Son paid the penalty for Manasseh's sin and for this sick man, who needlessly and senselessly slaughtered these children, for his sin as well." God showed me this issue is not a legal issue, or even a total psychological issue- it is a spiritual issue. This man needs to know the life-changing and eternity shaking power of the forgiveness of Jesus Christ. God showed me that if we want to ensure this kind of tragedy never happens again, as the Church we must be the hands and feet of our Savior, take up our cross, and change society with our influence and with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That is the only hope our world has- to eradicate evil with the power of a just and loving God demonstrated by the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When God spoke these words to me, I was humbled, begged His forgiveness for my myopic vision of the world, and praised Him while asking for His comfort and grace to be extended the families of the victims, to the children who had to witness this, and for the shooter to be repentant. May God bless them all.

Paul, thank you for posting this. I pray it gives my heart & mind some kind of peace. 

After taking a little time to process the facts that are surfacing about yesterday's incident....what do I feel???? Sorrow? Grief? Disgust? Yes but mostly anger....as a teacher & as a parent. I am angry. We nurse our babies through tummy aches, the teething oh the teething, illness, nightmares, potty training, teach them to walk & talk, love them with all our beings, learn so much from them.....and this monster who has no right to take lives that he in no way made better....in the blink of an eye removes angels from this world.... As the mother of a 4 year old who will be starting kindergarten next year....of course all kinds of hypotheticals are running through my head....could this happen here in our little town? Would her teacher  throw herself/himself in front of a gunman to save my child & the children of many of my friends? Of course she would. Do I want to homeschool? Of course terrible things happen in homes too...not just schools...

Now as a teacher....there is no doubt in my mind that I would defend my students in any way I had to. For you see, as a teacher these are not my students. They are my babies too. I love them just as much as I love my own. I foster them through learning rules, abcs, numbers, counting, adding, subtracting, the joys of science & social studies & social situations new to kindergarteners....They teach me far more than I ever teach them. They touch my heart and I will never forget one of them. Then there are my last year's babies...I love them just as much & would do anything to protect them as well. I can't imagine the terror that took place in Sandy Hook Elementary...All over the internet & in the president's speech I'm hearing things like, "parents kissed their children goodbye that morning" or "school is the safest place in the world"....all I could think all day Friday was what if one of my students had just upset me & had to move their animal or something & the last thing they ever heard from me was "move your animal" or some kind of reprimand???? My heart is absolutely broken thinking all these what ifs....I am trying to find consolation in Paul's words above...for I have no other choice...I pray I never have to answer any of these questions...I am so saddened that someone has....These poor babies that lost their lives....they were just babies...my heart is aching so badly for their potential cut short too soon...and for their families...and the families of the faculty...and the beautiful teachers I am seeing pictures of that put their lives on the line & the principal & psychologist who tried to stop him....

Of course the gun laws are front & center...if teachers could carry guns to protect themselves & their students would this solve all problems? No of course not...it is quite plausible it would create a whole new set of  problems...if the principal had been able to slow him down with her own gun would this have saved these babies??? Could the teachers have armed themselves after hearing the intercom horror and saved their wards? Possibly...I just have to have faith that God is running this show...not us...not us ever....

God...please....heal the hurting hearts all over the world...please help those that would have similar mindsets to stay far from our children...our babies....please Lord always watch over us, one & all...Please help us see what we need to do to eradicate this evil...Thank you Lord for keeping my students, my family away from home safe to this point. Please help me to always do so. Thank you for keeping my girls & Ike safe. Please help us to always do so. I know tomorrow is not promised & I feel so blessed to have shared so many yesterdays with my home family & my school family. Lord, I pray these blessings continue but if for some reason they are cut short...please always allow your Grace in my life & the lives of my babies, at home & at school for they are the one & the same. I love you Lord, amen...