In times like these…

Shooting in Colorado

The news out of Littleton, Colorado, is basically that it could have been worse. Bruco Strong Eagle Eastwood, 32, began shooting at middle school students as they were leaving to go home. The motive has not been identified, but in the end, it doesn’t really matter. Murder is a horrible thing, but when you take it to the level of attacking children it takes on another dimension of the sinister. I think of the brave teacher, David Benke, that tackled Eastwood and still wishes he could have done more. I can’t even think about what Benke did without getting a little choked up. The line between heroism and cowardice is a fine one, and yet we see average, normal people stepping up and doing things that inspire all the time.

In times like these, I find myself wondering why does this happen?  What is going on in the lives of some people who would think shooting kids is “the thing to do.”  As a Christian, I struggle to make sense of the chaos that finds expression in our world.  To say that it is because of sin seems to over-simplify and even trivialize the issue.  But I think that this only appears to be the case because we don’t truly understand what sin is.

Sin on Display

Sin has to be understood not by the nature of the offense, but rather by the worth of the offended.  Rape is a terrible scourge independent of the victims involved, but make the victim a child and you raise the level of indignation.  In like manner, the depth of sin’s offense must be seen by virtue that God, the one offended, is infinitely perfect and holy.  It is because of God’s purity that any sin, no matter how small, deserves eternal punishment for God is of eternal worth.

In times like these I have to remember that sin is an utterly terrible blight in the human experience.  I have to remember that sin is an insidious enemy that taunts us and tempts us away from God.  I have to remember that none of us is beyond the reach of  Sin’s influence.   Sin will only be eradicated when God sends Jesus back to claim those that have called to him and believed that Jesus is the only way to have a relationship restored with God the Father.

While I understand these things to be true I still mourn and struggle with having to wait for Jesus to return as long as we live in times like these.