It can be a scary world. I have a few friends who are talking about conspiracy theories, and while I don’t agree with their theories, I understand where they’re coming from. It’s so much more comforting to think that terrible things happen because people in positions of power are trying to keep those positions. That idea implies that there is a reason for these tragedies. It’s a lot easier to think about these things, and to live without fear when we believe that there is a reason behind the madness. When we find an alternative to the belief that danger could wait around every turn and we are powerless to prevent it, that’s something we want to hold onto. It’s so much more comforting!
The hard truth though is that there is no good reason that these tragedies are happening, other than the fact that some people are just twisted, sick individuals. Anything could happen to us, at any time. That’s a really scary idea, but especially since I’ve become a parent. The thought that something could happen to my perfect little boy is terrifying. After the shootings at Sandy Hook, of course I imagined my son in that school. I see him in the 8 year old boy whose life was taken in Boston. I see him everywhere, and it’s scary.
After he was first born, I went through a period of time when all I wanted was to take him back into my womb and keep him safe from the world. I don’t want him to see the bad things and people in the world, and possibly be a victim of one of those bad people. But really, if I were to keep him from the world, he’d miss out on seeing all the good things too. A quote from Mr. Rodgers has been going around the internet the past few days, and I think it’s really relevant. He said, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”
In the face of tragedy, there are those who rush to help, and there are more of them than there are people committing these senseless acts of violence. Rather than get depressed by the news, find those helpers, or better yet, be a helper yourself. God created this world, He created man, and He called them both good. That leads me to believe that the world and the people in it are inherently good, even when there are those who would do evil and have us believe that there is only evil left. God created this world for us, and He intends to do us good and not harm all the days of our lives.
My faith is in Him, so even when I’m afraid for my son and the things that he’ll have to see and experience, I trust in the Lord’s plan. Have you heard the song Because He Lives? A woman at my church mentioned it to me on Sunday, and it’s been speaking to me all week, and describes what I’m feeling perfectly, so I’ll leave you with the lyrics that have really hit home to me:
How sweet to hold
A newborn baby
And feel the pride
And joy he gives
But greater still
The calm assurance
This child can face
Uncertain days
Because He lives.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4M-zwE33zHA
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