How To Navigate Tragedy (Like Orlando)
Carnage everywhere – in one nefarious act, a man killed more than 50 people. What we have just witnessed is a gruesome and traumatic event in that will be talked about for many years to come. Most of us cannot even fathom the sheer evil that took place last night in Orlando, and if you’re like me, you’re still processing it emotionally.The club that was shot up was a “Gay Club” – and there seems to be this mistaken stigma around Christians as disliking the LGBT community. Let me just say this to my readers – as for me, and the people I associate with; Our brothers and sisters were killed in Orlando. We may have a difference in lifestyles, but Jesus calls all Christians to love everybody, and to judge nobody (for we Christians are the greatest sinners of all). Therefore, I can confidently say that we are all in this together – regardless of race, sex, or sexual orientation.That begs the question, what can we do about it, and how do we navigate it?1. We must show support for, and show love for all those affected by the shooting. This includes prayer, financial support, and physical support (if possible). There will be a lot of hurting people looking for answers over the next few months and years. We may not have all of the answers, but we have the Holy Spirit, and the love of God living within us – and that is all God needs to work through us and to heal those people.
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2.When I say that we are all in this together, that means we have to watch out for each other. I promise y’all this, there were a lot of people in that club that God had a plan for. God had plans to raise them up, and to bring them into an extraordinary life. Yet, because of one evil man, God’s plan for those people was never actualized. We, as Christians and people of this earth, have a God given duty to stop evil – for if we do witness evil and do not stop it, we are accomplices to it.3.This will not be the last tragedy we see. Evil lurks in this world, and the devil lurks like a lion – seeking to steal, kill, and destroy. The sad truth is that over a process of many years, sometimes decades, the enemy is able to corrupt a soul so completely that good no longer exists within that person. As long as evil exists in this world, there will be evil people seeking to harm others. Despite this, we should take hope. The devil might win a battle every now and then, but God has already guaranteed that we will win the war. There will come a time where there is no longer evil or suffering on this planet. These tragedies are hard to bear now, but time will heal all things. We will persevere past it, and we will win.Evil may have won the day, but Good will win eternity. The shooting in Orlando will hurt for some time, as our brothers and sisters were killed. Now is the time for us to show compassion and love to those who grieve, to prepare to stop evil in the future, and to take heart, despite the fact that we lost the battle… for the war is already won.