To the person behind the gun.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry that no one told you, that no one made you feel better, for whatever happened to you, for whatever didn't happen to you, and that you felt the urge to do what you did; no matter the story, no matter the preface or context.
Who gave you permission to take someone else's life? What went wrong that it became OK to play God? Everyone gets angry, everyone makes mistakes, but never is it OK to take the life of another person. This is could apply to shootings, abortions, physician-assisted suicide, death penalty and so many other subjects that aren't talked about because they are uncomfortable and scary. They make us think, and here in America and in this world, that's scary. All I want to know is where God comes into play with all of this. Where along the lines did God put you in the position to think that is OK? He didn't, the devil did.
You don't understand what you are doing to everyone else. It's not fair. Lives are lost way too soon and memories from years ago, now have to last us a lifetime. Yes, it's selfish for us to be sad and upset about losing a loved one, given that they are celebrating in the light and love of Jesus Christ. But it was selfish of you to take that right of life away from them so soon.
I hope you aren't reading this because you should be punished. Everyone has their different opinions of how, but regardless -- you should pay for what you did. What you did, not to one person, but the trust and security of the rest of the family, the town, the high school graduates, the college teammates, the state, the country and the world. It is not up to me to punish you, it's not up to any of us because I know eventually you will answer to the things you took from us. All I know is that it sucks and it hurts and it's not fair. I don't even know you- and the effect you have had on me will never go away.
Who died and made you king? Because I know our King died for you, and this is not what he had in mind. I don't know the answer. But I know that it's not okay. We can't just sit here and accept the fact that you took the life of someone we love.
To everyone else.
This doesn't mean riot, it doesn't mean cause a scene -- it means prayer. I hear so many times people say that this world is ending, and I can't help but to think how many times someone must have said that through the years; with the Industrial Revolution, someone had to see the harm to the environment and think yep- this is it. Someone must have heard about the plague and thought, man, this is going to kill us all; but newsflash, people -- somehow, some way we made it through that. For some reason you are here, today.
This is different than the other side of history, because now, we are killing ourselves; we are killing each other, not necessarily behind a physical gun, but in the way we treat and think about each other, the way we live our lives. Our tarnished hearts are the reason for the poison that is spreading and I can't think of any other way to make it out on the other side but through the power of God, the power of prayer and of love! Opinions, differences, passions, sciences -- they are all great! Discussing them and being open to change brought us to where we are today- but where did that union go? Somewhere we got too caught up in our own lives to stop and think about the way our actions reflect on the world, y'all. You are not in this alone. This is not about you. Let that sink in.
What's your weapon? How can you control it and turn it into something positive? Because I promise you, one thing leads to another and you never know what that person you didn't hold the door open for is going to do when they go home. You never know how much a simple smile can change someone's day. Notice people, give, be involved, be passionate, be loving! Excuse me if i sound like a hippy here, but good Lord- whatever we are doing sure as hell is not working. The change is in you! No one can have power over your life or your emotions unless you give them permission. Let go and let God and spread your light far and wide.
There's a reason our great, great great grandparents made it through the illnesses and the wars and the sweat and tears. And in no way are we entitled to any of the glory, and I think we can make it through all of this -- but not alone. Cain killed Abel with a rock, we have a heart problem, not a gun problem, not an economy problem, not a terrorist problem not a discrimination problem. I don't know where I stand on some of these issues because, there are so many ideas being shouted from so many different places, it's hard to know what is right these days, it's hard to determine my feelings from the chaos around me. Sticking a label on something does not make it easier to tackle. This is so much more than that, and in my opinion, there is only one way out. As for me, I'm putting my trust in God. I know this may not be for everybody, and in no way am I trying to shove this down your throat, but we can't just sit here anymore and take it. Something has to change and we can't do it by ourselves.
With love,
Humanity.
