Orlando. Dallas. Minnesota. Louisiana.
The past month has been full of too much heartache. Too many lives have been lost. Too many families lost their loved ones. Too many parents lost a child. Too many children lost a parent. Too many siblings lost a brother or sister. Too many significant others lost their boyfriend, girlfriend, husband or wife. At a basic level, too many humans have died on American soil.
And my heart continues to ache.
Very easily, these people could’ve been my aunt, uncle, best friend, grandparent, sibling or even casual acquaintance. Very easily, the shootings could’ve happened in my neighborhood, the local grocery store or even the bar downtown. Heck, for one of my friends, the officer shooting in Dallas was within two blocks of her apartment. These things are very real and do affect real people. It is a reasonable fear to have.
Quite frankly, I don’t have anything political to say. I don’t know if gun control will work. I don’t know if keeping our gun laws the way they are will help. I’m not sure to what extent police brutality is a widespread issue. All I know is that my heart aches.
Part of my heartache is the fear of where the future of America is heading. I’m afraid and uncertain about when, and the scariest — where — the next shots will be fired. I’m worried about the rash decisions that people are going to make out of hopes to “fix” these problems. I’m worried about politics coming before people. I’m worried that we will be too busy shouting at one another to listen for answers and clarity. I’m worried about a leader coming into the presidential office who will fail to keep a clear mind about the issues that face us.
I am worried about a future that is filled with anger and resentment instead of love and justice.
As a young person who has her whole life ahead of her, I am equally excited about what the future holds, and I’m also scared. The America of my childhood was full of potential, full of justice, and full of open doors. Maybe this is just a regular thing young people go through — realizing the world isn’t as beautiful and harmless like they think. Or maybe my childhood was truly full of those wonderful things, and along the way, we got off track. Or maybe it’s both.
In any case, my America is feeling smaller and more dangerous than I could ever think it could be. It pains me to see and hear of my fellow humans being deliberately shot dead. It pains me that some of my fellow humans are also going out and killing other people because of anger. I’m scared to think of the potential for evil that we humans are capable of having.
In times of tragedy, we tend to grip tightly to our ideologies. They provide comfort, assurance and consistency when we are placed in a time where those things are taken out from under us.
In this time where life feels absurd, disorienting and terrifying, I find myself comforted to know that in the end Christ will bring justice. Light will triumph over dark. Love will conquer hate. Heaven will conquer the inherent evils of this world. Faith will defeat fear. No matter what happens, Christ will take me in his arms and protect me from the injustice in this world.
Certainly this can be hard to remember. In the meantime, we must pray fervently for comfort and direction for those on the streets, in uniform, in our schools and those who create legislation. If there’s nothing else you can do, pray for justice and healing.
We also need to reach out to our communities and show the love and grace that Christ has bestowed upon us. Many people are hurting in this time of mourning and division, and it's important that they see love and understanding in order to heal.
I pray for sensitivity, and I pray for reconciliation. But above all these things, I pray for love and justice. America needs it in this time.
