My heart hurts...

I woke up this morning in tears thinking about all the parents waking up this Saturday morning and not being able to see their children's smiles. Parents who have already bought many of their kid's Christmas presents anticipating seeing their reaction when they open them Christmas morning, parents who had weekend plans to take their kids to see Santa or go to basketball practice. I am also so very sad for the brave teachers who lost their lives yesterday. Being a teacher myself I just can not even imagine what they went through, how helpless they probably felt. It makes me tear up thinking about someone coming into my school, my classroom and being capable of doing such evil. I can't help, but just be filled with sadness this morning.  I can't put into words, but Max Lucado did an excellent job in his prayer as a response to the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School. In such a dark time, we can only look to the light.

                                                                                Source: Uploaded by user via Sonya on Pinterest

 

Dear Jesus,

It's a good thing you were born at night. This world sure seems dark. I have a good eye for silver linings. But they seem dimmer lately.
These killings, Lord. These children, Lord. Innocence violated. Raw evil demonstrated.
The whole world seems on edge. Trigger-happy. Ticked off. We hear threats of chemical weapons and nuclear bombs. Are we one button-push away from annihilation?
Your world seems a bit darker this Christmas. But you were born in the dark, right? You came at night. The shepherds were nightshift workers. The Wise Men followed a star. Your first cries were heard in the shadows. To see your face, Mary and Joseph needed a candle flame. It was dark. Dark with Herod's jealousy. Dark with Roman oppression. Dark with poverty. Dark with violence.
Herod went on a rampage, killing babies. Joseph took you and your mom into Egypt. You were an immigrant before you were a Nazarene.
Oh, Lord Jesus, you entered the dark world of your day. Won't you enter ours? We are weary of bloodshed. We, like the wise men, are looking for a star. We, like the shepherds, are kneeling at a manger.
This Christmas, we ask you, heal us, help us, be born anew in us.
Hopefully,
Your Children

In tragedies like this one we want to close our eyes, turn off the tv and just pretend it never happened, but it did. So where do we go from here? Casey wrote a beautiful post about this tragedy and her outlook on it. You can check it out here.