When morning breaks grey with tragedy– we stare at the horrible truth and wish it to be a lie. For years, we’ve been periodically shocked at the evil & malice. That shock fits like a leather glove.
We can gasp in disbelief. We can shake our heads.
We can look over and notice our children mid belly-laugh and long to tuck them safely back in the womb for awhile.
When hateful words in the aftermath seem just as bad as evil actions in the night, let us be set apart for loving speech, hope filled truth, and nothing more. We can stand alone. We can choose to not be muddy-speech slingers.
When those who claim to know Him use their voice for hatred and vitriol–
We can remain a light. We can say it’s not okay. We can stand up for the hurting.
We can remember that we needed mercy, free of charge and completely covering us over.
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” –I Peter 2: 9, 10
We can be the ones who remain humble. The ones who don’t claim to understand the fear and the pain. The ones who are fully aware of who we are without Christ.
We can keep our conduct honorable, loving, and true.
We can be the ones who don’t proclaim to know. Who often don’t know what to say. Who don’t proclaim to have everything in common.
Who only proclaim what we know.
And if we’re proclaiming something, it needs to be the hope of Him who called us out of darkness– Who called us into light.
We can stop pretending to be experts on anything else but the fact that we needed Him– and we need Him still.
Let us be the ones flocking to serve and help and give. Let our voices be clearer than evil.
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