i cannot continue to sit back and watch each passing 'pray for vegas' picture and pretend like it's ok.
i cannot continue to watch government officials all around the states tweet out 'thoughts and prayers' and pretend like it's ok.
i cannot continue to watch fellow claimed followers of christ bring up abortion while we're talking about combat weapon laws and pretend like it's ok, that one life is more important than another.
i am crippled with thoughts. i am flooded with prayers for this country, the city of vegas, the president, everyone involved in the mandalay bay shooting.
i am praying and thinking. and it's not wrong. prayers, thoughts, they're not bad. we should be thinking about this. we should be talking about it. we should be praying.
but i am convinced that it's not enough.
i am convicted by the words of jesus, by their fruits you will know them in matthew and the words of james, prove yourself doers of the word.
and this gold nugget in first john: by this we know what love is: jesus laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. if anyone with earthly possessions sees his brother in need, but withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of god abide in him? little children, let us love not in word and speech but in action and truth.
if we have no deeds, all of our talk is meaningless.
my friends, we are the body. christ is in you. we pray for blessing, we pray for mercy, we pray for compassion and action, yet we have the eyes to see compassionately. we have the feet to go, the hands to bless and do good. we pray for miracles and surely enough jesus himself says, whoever believes in me will do the works i am doing, he will do even greater things.
he has no body now, but yours. we are his hands, his feet.
we are called to action.
if you are overwhelmed with what to do or where to start:
- contact your member of congress to demand action and prevent the next shooting
- likewise, click the link above once more to contact a congress member to demand action to increase and improve access to mental healthcare
- get serious about your self-care routine and encourage others to do the same
- focus on acts of kindness--work at the nearest homeless shelter or food bank, donate to puerto rico or mexico city, rake the leaves in your neighbors yard
- as a parent, show your children what kindness and loving everyone looks like
lastly, don't give up. be outraged. be devastated. but this is not the end.
in trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. in this world you will continue to experience difficulties. but take heart! i have overcome the world! -john 16:33
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