The deadliest mass shooting at a grade school happened in Connecticut in 2012, Sandy Hook Elementary. That horrific incident changed business as usual for education. It permanently transformed how we teach- behind shut, locked doors.
Several weeks ago I watched Channel 4, The Local News Station, report on safety measures at a rival high school football game “under the Friday night lights.” I mused, great, so many police offices keeping fans safe! Within an hour, a broadcast divulged one dead, two injured within yards of where the game concluded. Forty-eight hours later, Jacksonville made national headlines. Three dead at a gaming event at the Jacksonville Landing. It was surreal to see our city being highlighted for such violence.
I examined how I responded emotionally, or didn’t respond, to that tragic weekend. I barely thought about or talked about either incident Monday morning. If the water being turned up, slow and steady, allows a frog to accept heat to the point of it being harmful, then I admit, I am that frog. I think I’m numb. Mass shootings, which used to garner much heartache, are eliciting a few prayers and not much else from me. One friend understood my dilemma and added, “Yeah, I was wondering can they label three dead as a mass shooting?”
You could draw political implications about these events. A friend blogged that guns should not be sold to the mentally ill. He wrote that a year before tragedy inextricably marred Parkland, FL. Common sense is not so common.
One of my college professors after in-depth discussions about major issues would encourage us, “Now go home and accomplish something you do have control over, clean your closet!” I’m still not the best at that. The issues back then were the cold war and starvation in Somalia. At the age of nineteen and twenty, you naively believe you can change the world. Today I heed his advice. In the midst of my current dilemma, I refocus on bits that I can understand. I reaffirm a truth. Every single human being on the planet is indescribably valuable. If I could not name one victim from any of the aforementioned events, God Himself created each individual purposefully, intricately. We have eternal significance. Unique. No one like me. No one like you. Gifted with strengths, weaknesses, talents. Wanted. Treasured. Loved. The messages that encompass our daily routines, and catastrophic civic and national events, come in direct opposition to the divine wonder of humanity. What will we believe? How deeply will we allow ourselves to be cherished?
God gets a bad rap primarily from the PR job done by His followers. He is not angry or judgmental. If He wanted to display one or both of those attributes He wouldn’t have done this: provided us a way home. A terrible storm had come downing trees and power lines, interrupting communication, electricity and life as planned. The adoring Father painstakingly removed every limb, cleared the path, reintroduced communication and necessary provisions. What we were powerless to do on our own, He did for us. Why? He didn’t want any obstacles to interfere with our closeness. With the road accessible, we can drive the path to enjoy His company day or night. He craves time with His children, the hope of every parent. In a real sense you can have as deep of a bond with Him as you desire.
I don’t know what to do with my numbness toward the larger social ills that plague the world. I desire to be a part of the solution. I yearn to care. What I have concluded thus far is start small. Pay close attention to individuals in my path. Speak kindly. Apologize when necessary. Show compassion, encourage consistently. Listen to other people’s story and viewpoint, even if it is radically different from yours. Listen and learn. The most valuable commodity was given for my life, the very blood of The King. That was the price tag attached to my life, to yours. It is the true measure of how much something is worth, the price someone is willing to pay. You are extravagantly posh! One friend explained it like this, ” You’re wonderful! You’re fantastic! You are the apple of His eye. In other words, you are an object He will not do away with. He loves you so much, so much! He can create planets that are still being made. They are still not as valuable you!”
In the light of all of that, I do have some power to cool the water in the pan a bit. I’d like to honor the great loss of life by including their names as part of this blog.
Those who died in the Sandy Hook tragedy: Nancy Lanza, Rachel D’Avino, Dawn Hochsprung, Anne Marie Murphy, Lauren Rousseau, Mary Sherlach, Victoria Leigh Soto, Charlotte Bacon, Daniel Barden, Olivia Engel, Josephine Gay, Dylan Hockley, Madeleine Hsu, Catherine Hubbard, Chase Kowalski, Jesse Lewis, Ana Márquez-Greene, James Mattioli, Grace McDonnell, Emilie Parker, Jack Pinto, Noah Pozner, Caroline Previdi, Jessica Rekos, Avielle Richman, Benjamin Wheeler, Allison Wyatt.
Those who died in Parkland, FL: Alyssa Alhadeff, Scott Beigel, Martin Duque, Nicholas Dworet, Aaron Feis, Jaime Guttenberg, Chris Hixon, Luke Hoyer, Cara Loughran, Gina Montalto, Joaquin Oliver, Alaina Petty, Meadow Pollack, Helena Ramsay, Alex Schachter, Carmen Schentrup, Peter Wang.
Those who died in violent events in Jax Aug 24th -26th: Joerodd Jamel Adams, Taylor Robertson, Eli Clayton.
Broken but Beautiful 