Think On These Things

Last week a tragedy occurred in my nation.  28 people died.  Most were small children. Shot to death by a young man with mental illness.  I do not seek to justify nor explain his actions.  I have no words for what happened.  I don't pretend to have the answers.  I am having a problem processing this horrible catastrophe myself.  My heart breaks for the parents who lost their children.  I can't begin to imagine their pain.

When I first heard the news I was at a time, in a state of disbelief and shock, as I believe, were most people.  I began to pray for the families.  I also thought of and prayed for the safety and well-being of my own family--my children, my grandchildren, and my husband.  I prayed that God would keep them safe.  And I cried and mourned with those who mourned.  Broken hearted would be a good descriptor of my emotions for several days.

As I began to pray, and as I realized that I could not make sense of this outrageous crime, I pondered on the why's and how's.  A thought began to form in my mind.  Yes, I thought of something.  A passage in scripture.  Something to comfort me.  Something to get me through.

Philippians 4:8

The Message (MSG) ^8-9  Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.

So this is what I will do--I will fill my mind with these things.  This is how I chose to deal with life and also with death.  I will think on these things.  It is the only way that I can make sense of, well, of anything.  I must filter it through what the Bible says.  Because this is a crazy world in which we live.  Children die before parents, parents grow old before our eyes, and sickness invades the lives of our loved ones.  And in my finite mind, my human frailty, my weakness, this is what I must cling to--the words of my God.  And, I must practice what I preach.  I must think on the things of God.  Some might think that this is a crutch and I agree with them.  He, God, His word, is my crutch, and I am OK with that.  

For some this would be a very hard thing to do--think on these things.  However, for me, it is not.  I am by nature, by God's design, an optimist.  I have always been one and I believe I will always remain one--the forever optimist.  It's who I am.  I realize that not all are like me.  I have to be careful.  I do not want to hurt anyone with my positive outlook, with my joy, with my beliefs.  Yes, I have to be very careful.

It isn't that I am not affected when horrible things occur in my life, I am.  It isn't that I don't cry, mourn, wonder, or ask God why.  It's just that once I begin to read my Bible, I am comforted by the words.  They are soothing to me.  They heal me.  I no longer have the need to dwell on the negative.  I praise God, for He is--the pure, the best, the authentic.  However, most of all I trust in Him.  I will always trust.  

And now I will stop talking about the horror and began talking about the blessings.  Because He is--true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best.  He truly is all that to me.  And He always will be.  He is whom I choose.  I will fix my eyes on Him.