Another School Shooting! What Possible Good Can Come from It?

Another school shooting! What possible good can come from it? What can you say to the grieving families, staff, and students at Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida? What can you say to the grieving couple, Kim and James Snead, who took in Cruz after his adoptive mother died in November?

What can you say to Anthony Borges, age 15, and his family as he lies in a hospital bed and faces a long road of recovery with more surgeries ahead of him? Anthony was shot five times through a classroom door when he closed and locked it to protect fellow classmates.

In that school shooting, seventeen innocent people lost their lives at the hands of nineteen-year-old mass shooter, Nikolas Cruz. In looking back, many say the signs of a troubled youth were there. His social media indicated serious trouble, but the signs were ignored.

Will you send a sympathy card to the school? Will you donate to the fund for Anthony Borges’ hospital and medical bills? If you’re a crisis counselor or chaplain, will you go to Florida and minister to the families, staff, and students?

Will you commit to pray for all those affected by the mass shooting?

Perhaps it is time to lock arms, to draw closer to family, friends, and God, and to face the fact that you and I can lose a loved one in seconds in a mass shooting or to any other circumstance.

Maybe you and I can realize how precious life is and live it to the fullest instead of getting lost in busyness and meaningless activities that have no eternal value.

Maybe it’s time to put aside anger, bitterness, and resentment to love God and love your neighbor as yourself.

Please take fifteen minutes to sit down with your Bible, pen, and journal. Ask God what he would have you do to make your home, your church, and your community a better place.

2 Corinthians 4:8–9: “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”

Prayer: God, please help me sit with you, read my Bible, and wait to hear from you. Please show me what I can do to make the world a better place to live. Amen.

For more on this topic, please read Moving from Broken to Beautiful® through Grief. Find out more about the topic of grief at www.bit.ly/brokenbeautiful

2 Comments

Gail Lentz on February 22, 2018 at 2:50 pm

Beautiful and positive suggestions to alleviate our sadness about the school shootings.
Keep up your good and Godly work.
Yvonne on February 22, 2018 at 10:12 pm

Thank you for stopping by, Gail Lentz. I appreciate your encouragement and support.