One Foot in Front of the Other...
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It dawned on me last night that I'm not sure I know how to do this.
How to raise our children in this kind of a world, in the way we want to raise them, to be the people we hope they will ultimately become.
I'm not sure I know exactly how I--how any of us-- are supposed to keep living peacefully, happily, and positively in a world where things like this happen.
Where people do this kind of thing.
Already, so many people seem to have the answers. If we would ban guns, this wouldn't happen. If we let everyone carry them, this wouldn't happen.
If we installed metal detectors.
Put security guards in all of our schools.
If we got rid of video games.
Of our TVs.
Of our computers.
If we had free mental health care.
If we were tougher on crime.
Maybe some of those things would have made a difference. And maybe they wouldn't have. At this point, we don't know enough about the specifics to really say, though that hasn't stopped so many from jumping onto their soapboxes, declaring that if only this had been different, such devastation couldn't possibly have happened.
Call me a cynic, but I tend to believe that if a person is intent on committing evil, they will find a way to do it. And yet, I hope with all my heart that we find that something could have been done differently. Maybe then, somehow, we can somehow avoid similar devastation in the future.
I don't pretend to know what needs to happen on a larger scale to stop this kind of thing. We seem to look at that larger scale a lot, though. If only we could change the laws. If only we could enforce the laws. If only we could march on Washington, to show that this time, we really are serious, and we are no longer going to accept a society that glamorizes, glorifies, and unfortunately often exemplifies violence.
If only we could look at the smaller scale a little bit more.
If only we could focus more on being the parents our children need us to be. The extended family members our families need us to be. The helpful friend. The concerned neighbor. The listening ear. The watchful eye.
The open heart.
If only we could be the voice that says "Something is wrong here, in this house, or in this family, or in this neigborhood. And we can't ignore it anymore".
If only we could look at what we want our children to know, and make sure we are teaching it. What we want them to be, and make sure we are helping them become it. What we want them to believe, and make sure we are an example of it.
I don't pretend to know what led up to this latest incident. But I tend to believe--I have to believe--that if each of us truly decided to surround the people in our lives--all of them-- with not only love and acceptance, but also with responsibilty and accountability, something would have to change.
Wouldn't it?
Maybe the only way to make big changes is to start small. And when we don't know where to start, maybe we start by putting one foot in front of the other, realizing that there is something we can all do.
We can try. And then we can try harder.
We can fight. For our children. For their futures. And for the kind of world we want them to live in.
We can love. Our families. Other families. Strangers. Even when it hurts.
Especially when it hurts.
We can pray. For peace for the families. For peace for ourselves. For strength for all of us.
And for guidance on how to go on in a world as sad as this one.
We can live. For them. For us. For the future.
We can also, in the midst of something as devastatingly heartbreaking as this, choose to embrace all that is beautiful and good in this world. We can choose to surround ourselves not with TV and Internet images of horrific crimes and brutality, but with nature, and art, and music, and friendship.
And kindness.
Then we can hold our children.
And hope their world will be a better one than ours. And have faith that somehow, it will be.
As we hold them tighter still.
TM
2:23 pm on Monday, December 17, 2012
Excellent read - there is much we can be joyous about in our world today - the light always defeats the darkness and has since the first day God created the Heavens and Earth. If we learn anything from this, let us learn that the ultimate cause of the massacre in Newton, the massacre in Bethlehem, and countless other massacres in between was nothing less than the total depravity of the human heart, and let us remember that it was for this reason that Jesus was born. He was not born to provide us with an excuse for celebrating December 25th and giving one another presents, He did not enter into the world to give us traditions, He was not born of a woman, born under the law, to give us wise sayings, or even to do miracles. Jesus was born to “save His people from their sins” and to save creation from the awful effects of the Fall. He was born to do away with murder and death, and to make it possible for this sin sick world in which awful things like the murder of little children happens to be cleansed of every stain of sin and replaced with the “new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” (2 Peter 3:12)
TM
2:23 pm on Monday, December 17, 2012
He came that there might be a day when heartbreaking events like these might never happen again, a day when justice will be eternally done to wicked and unrepentant murders like Herod, and a day when His redeemed people might enter into an eternity in which “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying." (Rev. 21:4a) We are reminded by awful events like the murders in Newton of our terrible need for that work of redemption from sin and its effects to be completed, and so our hearts long for the return of Christ and a final end to sin and suffering.
Maryann
11:49 pm on Monday, December 17, 2012
Thank you TM :)
TM
9:35 am on Tuesday, December 18, 2012
I left my final thoughts off - you're very welcome Maryann - I'm glad there are some of us that can still appreciate and welcome solutions of a Faith-based nature.
I would encourage us all to pray. I do not think I really need to tell you what to pray for, but for those who might not know where to begin, here are a few suggestions:
Pray for the families that are grieving inconsolably today
Pray for the children, who witnessed things that no child should ever have to see
Pray for the emergency workers who came face to face with the carnage caused by monstrous evil
Pray for the doctors and nurses who struggled to save little ones who didn’t make it
Pray for the Policemen who had to tell parents that the worst thing they could imagine had happened
Pray for the morticians and do not think for a moment that their job will be easy
Pray for those who have reacted to this news with rage, frustration, and hatred
Pray for those who have given up hope
Pray that what Adam Lanza meant for evil would be used by God for good, with men this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible
Pray that we would stop trusting in princes to provide answers to spiritual problems
Pray above all for the speedy return of Christ and for a final end to the slaughter of little ones
Maryann
1:16 pm on Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Thanks TM. This is a strong reminder that many more people than we may initially think of have been personally touched by this tragedy. I'm sure they can all benefit from our prayers.
Malemute9
1:42 pm on Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Maryann -- I know that the toughest part of being a Dad is that I cannot protect my son everywhere he goes. All I can do is raise him to be the person we want to see in society -- confident, loving, self-assure. He is not perfect, but he is my son. Too many parents refuse to see when their child has problems. I see this all the time in kids my wife tutors. "He's lazy" is the common response, but it masks a refusal to see a problem and not fear it. We need to stop ignoring problems (or just gossiping about them!!) in our community and start addressing them -- one family at a time. People always believe that their small act cannot make any difference, yet history has been proving them wrong for a thousand years. So my advise to you is keep plugging along. It is not easy work, but from your blog i can tell you have the heart for it.
Maryann
12:00 am on Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Thank you Malemute. I couldn't agree more.
Connie Cooney
8:58 am on Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Maryann you have a wonderful way with words, even when what you say is so hard to read. I hope more folks read this and work at making it happen
Maryann
4:18 pm on Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Thank you Connie. I hope so, too.