My journal starts with these words today: “Jesus didn’t just heal the illnesses of the body. He also soothed the infirmities of the soul.”
My soul is heart-sick this week after yet another shooting in our schools, a place where students should feel safe. In a world where acts of violence are increasingly common, I pause to grieve with those who are grieving, and my heat is heavy.
One of the toughest realizations I have, though, is that Jesus came to bear not only the grief of the victims families and loved ones, He came to bear the infirmities of the soul and mind of the person who committed this terrible act. It’s hard to have compassion for someone who committed such heinous act, and hard to believe God sent His Son to die for him as well, but it’s true.
I wonder, if we took God seriously enough to love others as Christ loved, and were able to reach more people with the love of Jesus, would we be able to make a difference in the lives of troubled people–to help them realize that their infirmities of the soul can be cast on a living Jesus, who can save them from themselves and from their sin… and I dare say, from committing future acts of violence.
I don’t pretend to have all (or even any) of the answers in how to stop the violence. But I know that Jesus is near to the broken hearted and the troubled.
Grieve with our country this week. Be angered by recent events, stirred enough to make a difference in someone’s life today. We don’t know what sickness affects their souls, but we know a loving God who does.
Please keep the families of the victims of the Florida shooting in your deepest prayers this week as they struggle to understand the enormity of their loss. They have a very long road of emotional recovery ahead of them. I pray that Jesus will begin to heal their infirmities.
Blessings,
SB
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