Monday, December 17, 2012

Ramah and Sandy Hook.


A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be comforted,
because they are no more."
Matt. 2:18


Sometimes when we read the Bible, we don't read it as history. We read it only as a (familiar) story. A Grimm or Andersen moral tale that didn't really occur. If you grew up in a church setting, you might even "flannel graph" the real people that were a part of each story we read. Mary always wears a blue and white outfit, John the Baptist's beard is a bit bushier than Jesus', Adam and Eve both sport conveniently placed fig leaves. 
Do you know the narrative of the flight to Egypt? Mary and Joseph take their son and literally run for their lives. Behind them in Bethlehem, babies are massacred for the sake of a man's ego. 

Maybe because we bemoan "the good old days", we're horrified that our current culture can produce days like Friday. Good old days have never existed. That's a myth that resides in our minds.We are incredible revisers of sin's place in history depending on our standing in our current society.
 This day in Bethlehem happened 2,000 years ago. We may have an answer and a reason for Herod's rampage. We also know that this horrific act brought about with guards and swords is a moment in a bigger narrative of hope for  all of mankind.
We may not have a reason for what Adam Lanza did. 
We do know that there is always a bigger purpose. 
A tragic paragraph in a novel of redemption.

In a tiny school in an idyllic community, sheer panic and death rained down for a brief moment. It's shaken us to our very core nationally. Imagine now the scene in Bethlehem as a whole city is flooded with the wails of parents & shrieks of children. 
We are the same now as we were then.
Confused, hurt and contemplating the goodness of God, the reason for evil.

Don't think that mankind was better at any point in history. Children have been targets of demonic plots for centuries.  There was never a moment where we really had it going on (I don't remember any chapters in my history books that read "TOTAL PEACE & HAPPINESS") That's the whole reason for the celebration of Christmas. It was the moment in mankind's story where God answered prayer and clearly spelled out the cure to our disease. 
It's the big reveal, the *spoiler alert* if you must. 
The hope of not just our own hearts, but collectively as nations. 


I continue to mourn for the parents who didn't get to pick their kids up from school on Friday. I usually hate the interruption of my day with trekking up to Josiah's school. It just really throws off my groove, you know? By Friday afternoon my attitude had changed. I left early, I left quickly. I relished the drive and hugged my son with abandon. I enjoyed his classmates. I held back a few tears. 
Oh God, forgive me for everything I take for granted. 

I don't look back at history and miss the myth of the good old days.
 I look forward and rejoice for the good new days that Jesus has promised us. 

“Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” 
― C.S. Lewis
_______

I have felt so overwhelmed by the grace of God in the gift of my children and so convicted in my own sin of taking them for granted that I want to share a few pictures of my little ones with reasons I am glad they are mine. 

Thank you Jesus for those cheeks and eyes.
Mae is so willing to share with others. She loves her friends and her
family. She couldn't wait to get our cards sent out.

Thank you Jesus for the opportunity that I get every day when I pick him up from school.

Thank you Jesus for their goofiness and excitement.

Thank you Jesus for their love of simple fun with their extended family.

Thank you Jesus for their love of animals.

Thank you Jesus for making their bodies healthy.

Thank you Jesus for their love of adventure and creativity.

Thank you Jesus for their love of movies and music.
Thank you for the cute sayings that come out of their mouths.
Thank you Jesus for little moments like this.

“Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person's ultimate good as far as it can be obtained.” 
― C.S. Lewis


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