Saturday, December 15, 2012

Despair and the Solution

I awoke this morning feeling utter despair for our nation. The events in Connecticut yesterday are horrific.  It calls to memory all the awful events that people my age have witnessed.  I have to say that when I was a child, Columbine scared me.  9/11 scared me.  This just saddens me.  I don't even know where to begin on how sad I am today.
So, because I need to express them, here are my thoughts.
First, I thank God that I live in Idaho.  Everyday.
Second, gun control is NOT the answer.  We need less gun control and more PEOPLE control.  I can't even imagine what was running through this individual's mind as he drove to that school.  There must have been so much anger, so much hate, so much frustration and confusion.  We can never know why he did it.  All we know is that he did.
In conjunction with that, sometimes, people make bad choices for bad reasons.  The consequences of these choices affect other people, whether that was the intention or not.  All that we can do to solve this is be more compassionate, more understanding, more patient and more prepared.
Third, I personally feel that God is trying to send us as a nation a message.  Stop hurting each other, stop finding fault with one another, stop trying to destroy one another.  Stop.  Now, don't get me wrong.  I don't believe that God chose this for us.  He did, however, give each of us agency to make our own choices.  Once a choice is made, He cannot stop the consequences.  As His children, we need to not take away from this that we need more gun control, more regulations, more laws.  What we should be learning right now is how to offer love to those in need.  To mourn with those that mourn, to comfort those that stand in need of comfort.  There are so many things that we get busy with that we forget these things.  We forget that the person that just cut us off on the highway, that just bumped into us with their cart, who has a screaming child in WalMart, who is being painfully slow in the checkout line or the stoplight or whatever, is a Child of God.  A precious son or daughter of our Heavenly Father.
We simply need to stop destroying and start building.
For example, after the shooting in Oregon this week, I can't help but wonder if that young man had a mother or a father or a mentor that loved him and was there for him in his time of confusion if he would have found a different solution than murder and suicide.
I, for one, am not putting my efforts into gun laws and the like. I am ignoring the media attention that these poor, wounded souls are getting and putting my time and effort into loving, accepting and building souls.  I truly believe that the more we love and support people, the more people will want to be loving and accepting and supportive to others. I am going to pray more.  I am going to draw nearer to my Heavenly Father.  I will teach my primary kids to be kind and loving and accepting.
Can you imagine what our nation would be like if we were all out doing good instead of being selfish?
I am going to change my world.
What are you going to do with yours?

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