what comes next?

It's interesting to see how everyone is responding to what happened recently in Connecticut. I've been watching the news articles, blog posts, and Facebook status updates. So much can be said. So many angles to the story. So many potential solutions and so many reasons why such-and-such a solution will or won't work. We all have an opinion on what happened and how to resolve the situation. You will prefer your viewpoint, but that doesn't mean mine is wrong or to be ignored.  We all have different experiences to pull from that create who we are today.

I'm trying to absorb all the sides to the story of gun control, massacres, mental illness, violence, and this idea that America wants God in schools during crises, but not during everyday life.... I encourage you to listen to the stories that are coming from this too. They might paint a bigger picture than the media will. For example, an Oregon mall shooting happened three days prior to what happened in Connecticut. It didn't get as much attention, potentially because a conceal and carry citizen showed his gun to the shooter and that curbed the violence from going beyond the three killed (which included the gunman).

One way you can implement change at home is to remember to take care of each other. If you see someone hurting or not fitting in, take time to smile at them and reach out to them. A kind word can go a lot farther than you ever imagine. You have no idea if your connecting with someone who is hurting will save them from taking a wrong turn in life.

We can all also pray. Pray for God to comfort families. Pray for grace to surround everyone indirectly or directly involved. Pray over those children and staff and the flashbacks they will face. So many prayers to be given for everyone involved in this shooting.

Also, pray for our lawmakers so that they know how to address this and protect our nation, if possible, in a legal way. We all have opinions on how they should do that, but realize that yours isn't necessarily the opinion that you should pray for them to have. Pray that the right laws get unearthed and the right paths get made so we can protect our nation as best as possible from the legal standpoint.

Ultimately, God is our only hope. If you don't yet know Him, I encourage you to consider attending church on Sunday. You may just find that true hope only comes from Him.