Perspective

There are endless stories out there about the tragedy that took place in Connecticut last Friday. It has been on my mind a lot since I first heard about it. I'm not going to write about what I think caused this, gun control, or what can be done to fix it. That has been covered over and over again by just about everyone else.

As a Christian, I feel compelled to do one thing, pray for them. That's really all I can do because I can't imagine there are any words that make those parents feel better. There is nothing to ease their pain or bring their child back. I know that the only person that can give these families any sort of hope is Jesus, and I pray that they all know him or will get to know him through this tragedy. It is easy to only think about the kids, but adult lives were lost as well. We seem to accept adult death easier than we do the death of a child, and to a certain degree I understand that. Most adults still got to experience a lot, they were given the chance to reach their potential, and even though their life was cut short, they still lived a lot. When a 6 year old child is taken it feels like they were cheated, and they were. The families of the teachers, counselors, and principal are hurting just as badly. They can take pride that they died most likely saving the lives of dozens of other children, but that doesn't do enough to take away the pain. Just like everyone else, Veronica and I are in prayer for the victims and their families.

This does tie into the blog, and that goes back to the pain and suffering. It has been a tough year for us in some respects. 2012 is a year we'll look back on with a lot of great memories but also some heartache throughout the year as well. I first went in to get tested the second week of January this year, so we are almost a full year into this process now and that doesn't include the several months we tried before getting tested. It doesn't feel like things are much better than they were last January. We have made some progress but we took some hits along the way as well. It's easy to look at the future with fear and worry. Will 2013 be any better? We choose to believe it will because we have the hope of Jesus, there is still the hope of a child. A week from today we will celebrate the miraculous birth of the most important person to ever walk the Earth, our Savior. If we ever are reminded of the hope we have in Jesus, what God is capable of doing for us, and how much he loves us; this time of year serves as a reminder.

Our pain is nothing compared to what those families in Connecticut must be feeling right now. Next week all around the country entire families will gather together while those families will have a noticeable empty spot at the table or around the tree. I hope they are reminded of the hope they have in Jesus, I know for us we are reminded even more of how much pain there is in this world and how thankful we are to have hope.

Psalm 39:7: "And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you."