This past Thursday, a man changed the future of five innocent men and walked into the Molson Coors complex and ended their lives. Officials do not have reasons, people are questioning. We try to make sense. We try to reason the madness.
I’m here to tell you.
We cannot. Watch the broadcasts. Listen to the podcasts. Read the papers. Nobody has an answer.
A few year ago, I attended the Goodman Theatre production, Gloria. The story unfolded quietly and slowly. A story of a woman who was unnoticed and mocked by her office. A story of a woman who wanted to have friends and be loved and was unsure and unable to cope with her emotions. And she lost it all and all of a sudden, gunfire erupted.
I kid you not, friends, at first, as I heard the gunfire, I was frozen. In my seat, because it began off-stage, we watched most of the people on-stage be gunned down. It was brutal. And yet, a reminder of what our children face at school. A reminder of the Aurora shooting. A reminder of Vegas. I could just write on and on.
My first reaction still lingers with me. I froze. I heard the gunfire and I froze. Obviously, not real. However, for thousands, this is a new reality. We walk into a larger gathering, a movie theater, whatever, and we now think, where are the exits?
Maybe, that is just me, which is why I find my way to the Bible and find my way to Jesus this morning and for that matter, every morning. My life is in his hands. I look out at the little birds on my feeder out my window today and I am reminded of Matthew 6.
26 Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow [seed] nor reap [the harvest] nor gather [the crops] into barns, and yet your heavenly Father keeps feeding them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27 And who of you by worrying can add one [a]hour to [the length of] his life?28 And why are you worried about clothes? See how the lilies and wildflowers of the field grow; they do not labor nor do they spin [wool to make clothing], 29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory and splendor dressed himself like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive and green today and tomorrow is[cut and] thrown [as fuel] into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31 Therefore do not worry or be anxious (perpetually uneasy, distracted), saying, ‘What are we going to eat?’ or ‘What are we going to drink?’ or ‘What are we going to wear?’ 32 For the[pagan] Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; [but do not worry,] for your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also.34 “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Amplified Bible (AMP)Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.
Birds come and eat here every day I provide food. They come and spill food and make a mess. They have become dependent on me for seed. They don’t ask where from where it comes. They don’t worry. They just come and eat. Did I mention they make a huge messssss??
I learn so much from the little sparrows. They squabble, they fly in and out, they are picky, they are beautiful in a brown sort of way. They do the next thing. Now, they are all gone from the feeder.
I am fed, just like the sparrows. I am clothed. I am so much more valuable.
What do I add by looking towards fear instead of trust in Jesus? Have my fears helped bolster value to my life? Has my life been enhanced by the worry rocking chair? God knows my needs. God knows my tomorrow. God knows my very hairs on my head. And he knows yours. So, our choice to look to find the exits, or to watch the broadcasts over and over, maybe we need to frame these choices. We need to be responsible. We need to rest.
For as Jesus said, today’s trouble is enough for today.
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