It is with a heavy heart that I begin this week. The shooting in Florida on Saturday evening, though most horrific, was just another day. It was just another man who robbed too many people of their most precious life. It was just another group of people who were killed suddenly, and without justification.
We live in The United States of America, a place of freedom and dreams; yet sometimes it feels like a war zone.
In a world that faces so much brokenheartedness, we as a human race need hope. We as people with beating hearts are in desperate need of compassion. We as brothers and sisters need change.
We need a change of attitude, a change of perspective, but most importantly, a change of understanding. I believe that in order to try and stop this violenece and terror, we must understand what it really means to love each other.
What would the world look like if you and I were invariably patient and kind?
What would the world look like if we were never boastfull, nor proud, nor rude, not even for a moment?
What would the world look like if you and I were not self-seeking?
What would be different if we were never angry, nor kept any record of ever being wronged?
What would be different if you and I rejoiced not in the face of injuctice, but rather in the face of truth?
What would be different if we never gave up?
What if you and I never lost faith, and instead were always hopeful?
What if our love for one another, regaurdless of race, gender, economic status, education level, sexual orientation, geographic location, or religion truly never failed?
I believe that if you and I were to do and be all of these things, our world would be radically, and gloriously changed. Afterall, if someone told us they loved us that much during our darkest of moments, wouldn’t that darkness be illuminated with light?
So, Victims of the Orlando shooting, friends and family of those victims, and so many others who have been heartbroken by similar sensless acts, I want you to know that I believe in a solution to this darkness. I want you to know that there are so many others across the world who believe in it too. The solution is ceasless love.
My hope is that someday giving and receiving this love will be enough to take away your resentment, lessen your hurt, and heal this broken generation bit by bit.
I know that love may seem ordinary, fleeting and intangible; but the kind of love that im talking about is the kind that moves. It’s the kind that changes, works, helps, and does. It’s the kind that fixes.
Orlando, we love you. San Bernindino, we love you. Colorado Springs, we love you. Paris, we love you. Roseburg, we love you. Chattanooga, we love you. Charleston, we love you. Isla Vista, we love you. Newtown, we love you.
My prayer is that person by person, this will someday be enough. It starts with you and me.
