Truly Incomprehensible

I suppose that most of you, like me, are tired of seeing all the coverage of the tragedy in Newtown.  I can't comprehend what anyone that is connected to that community and that school is going through.  I don't want this blog to pile on concerning that incident, but I do want to respond to some things I've heard. 

First continued thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by the events on last Friday.  I'm not interested in getting into a debate about gun control and our gun culture.  That's something to be had at a later time.  I will acknowledge that our nation does need to be a lot better about how we handle mental illness, but that topic isn't for this blog.  What I want to talk a little bit about is how I see God working through all of this.

I've read a number of posts on Facebook and heard some commentators talk about how this is what we, and by we I mean the United States, get by taking God out of the schools and taking God out of our culture.  Frankly that idea offends me.  To think that God allowed this to happen, or even caused this to happen to show us as nation we've erred is horrifying to me.  To think that God abandoned these kids and this community because we as a culture have abandoned God in some ways doesn't hold water with me.  We can have a discussion about the consequences of pushing God further and further from our lives, and there are consequences to that, but I do not believe this incident is God trying to get our attention.

I firmly believe God was at Sandy Hook elementary that day.  God is everywhere, and God has promised to never leave us or abandon us.  News flash...the world is broken...breaking news...the world has always been broken.  Since the beginning of time God has chosen to work with us through this mess we call life.  God has allowed us free will, and has chosen to work within that free will to try and make this world as good as it can be.  I do not know, or understand, why God allows free choice.  I do not know why God allows such atrocities to happen since I believe God has the power to stop them.  Sometimes bad things happen because we, and by we I mean us personally and us as a society, make bad choices.  And sometimes bad things happen for no reason.  I think it is a mistake to try and make sense out of the senseless.  Sure there might be reasons for why this happened, and we should investigate what can be done to stop this from happening again.  But, God did not abandon those kids and teachers at that school.  I cannot and will not believe that.  I believe that God has a plan for this world and for each of us.  I believe it is our job, if you will, to try and follow that plan as best we are able.  When horrible events happen I lean on my faith.  That faith reminds me that God is always there, that God is in control (even if I don't understand why or see how), and that God will walk with us through it all.