Uvalde

Dear Lord of Life,
I, for one,  feel broken and empty.
 
I find myself grieving for the community of Uvalde, grieving for the teachers and staff of our local schools, grieving for the students – like my daughter and all our kids at Lord of Life – for whom this has become a reality, and grieving for our communities that are weary from the regularity of these tragedies.
 
I am exhausted.
 
I am at a loss for solutions.
 
I am at a loss for explanations.
 
One thing has become clear to me: we have a spiritual problem. Some may point to guns, or to mental health, or to some other issue. I believe these are merely symptoms of an underlying cause. Our spiritual sickness prevents us from seeing one another as beloved children of God, it prevents us from reaching across divides to search for common ground, it entrenches us in our idolatry of political posturing, and it distracts us with anger at our neighbors rather than a love that seeks healing.
 
As you have heard me say over and over, at Lord of Life we cling to a vision of a world in which “all have life through the love of Christ.” Yesterday at Robb Elementary 19 children and 2 adults had that life stolen away. We hold firmly to the promise of the resurrection and that life does not end with our final breath on this earth.
 
Yet we also believe that life through the love of Christ begins now and so, as we pursue this vision, we must seek healing for our spiritual illness. We must see one another, even those who call us enemies, as children of God. We must treat others with humanity even when they deny our own. We must turn to one another in community when we are told to draw lines and choose sides. We must stretch beyond the boundaries that separate us — those we choose and those placed upon us. I have been in prayer for the community of Uvalde, for the teachers of our community, for students across the country.
 
The reason I pray is not for God to fix some problem on my behalf. I pray so that I may be drawn closer to the heart of God. When this is my aim, then I become the agent of God’s mercy, love, and justice on this earth. In prayer we feel God’s heartbeat, we are held close like a newborn on their mother’s chest, and our life echoes that beat into the world.
 
So, I encourage you to join me in prayer. Prayer for the victims and the perpetrator; prayer for leaders who will work for change; prayer for our friends and our enemies; prayer that our very lives would echo God’s heartbeat and “that all have life through the love of Christ.”
 
God loves each of you and I do too,
Pastor David
 
P.S.
If you or anyone in your life needs a place to process or discuss these incredibly challenging issues, please know that I, and the entire staff at Lord of Life, are here for you.
Call us. 281-367-7016
Do whatever you have to.
But always remember that we do not need to walk these roads alone. We are here for one another.

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