The worst terrorist attack on American soil since 9/11 was carried out a week ago Sunday (June 12th) in a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. The gunman, Omar Mateen, age 29, murdered 49 people and injured dozens more. Police ended up killing him, as well, as they rescued his hostages. You would think that a horrific slaughter of this magnitude would unite Americans to grieve over this senseless loss of life and over the unimaginable pain that the loved ones are enduring. You would think that all Americans would be willing to put aside their differences in order to mourn this terrible loss. Sadly, that has not been the case.
The bodies of those executed in Orlando were still warm when politicians rushed to use this tragedy to push their ideological agendas. I am ashamed that a moment of silence for the victims of the Orlando shooting in the U. S. Senate was interrupted by angry shouting from some of the Senators. There is plenty of time to have debates about gun control and about immigration, but for heaven’s sake, please let us have some time to grieve first!
Thankfully, there are a lot of Americans who set aside politics and rolled up their sleeves to help the hurting. People lined up for blocks in order to give blood, and Chick-fil-A opened several of their restaurants just so they could deliver free food to those waiting in line. There are also reports of churches being filled with people praying for those affected by this tragedy.
Maybe it’s the politicians who need to be reminded why we should “… weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15). There are good reasons for us to grieve together.
We should lament when a life is ended because all life is precious. That is true because God is the author of all life (even the unborn, but that is another article). When God finished creating the world, He “saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good….” (Genesis 1:31). (By the way, that is the main reason animals shouldn’t be mistreated. They, too, are God’s good creation.)
All life is valuable, but human life is even more precious because God also gave us souls. We are different from the animals because God actually breathed His life directly into us, and only into us. “Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7). That is why Job said, “The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life” (Job 33:4).
It is also important to remember that every person is created in the image of God (see Genesis 1:26-27), which means (among other things) that the eternal God has made us to live eternally. All of us will live somewhere forever. “…it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).
When a person dies, his or her opportunity to embrace God’s gift of unending life with Him is over. The time is coming when Jesus will judge “…those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes to be glorified…” (2 Thessalonians 1:8–10).
Jesus wants to forgive the sinful. He gave up His life to save them. “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). Murder is always evil, and it comes from the Evil One himself (John 8:44).
Let’s join our hearts in prayer for all those who are hurting in Orlando. I am praying that they will find the peace that only Jesus can give. As Jesus promised, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful” (John 14:27).
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