|
|
Lessons From A Shooting On January 8, 2011, Jared Lee Loughner shot 19 people, killing 6 of them. Representative Gabrielle Giffords was having a "Congress on Your Corner" event at a shopping Mall in Tucson, Arizona. Loughner approached a table Giffords was sitting at and opened fire. She was shot in the head but survived the wound and is currently undergoing rehabilitation. However, the shooter then turned to those waiting in line and started shooting at random. Among those killed was a Federal Judge, John Roll, he apparently decided to come just out of common courtesy to the U. S. Representative. A next door neighbor took nine year old Christina-Taylor Green, a girl who had an interest in politics, to meet Gabrielle Giffords. She thought of Christina as her granddaughter. Dorwin Stoddard was killed as the gunman shot his wife and was ready to shoot her again. Dorwan threw himself on top of his wife to act as a human shield. As I thought of this shooting I could not help but think of three things. First, I wondered how long it would be before the blame game would begin. You know what I mean. How long before someone would get before television cameras, or write an article, or blog that it was everyone else's fault except the gun man? The answer I got was, not very long. Almost immediately the media wanted to attach blame to the "radical right" and the uncivil discourse of the last political election. Now I don't want to justify uncivil discourse or hateful speech but the one ultimately to blame is Jared Lee Loughner. He was the one who decided to get a gun, drive to the mall, and start shooting. Interestingly, only after investigators found writings of Hitler, and liberal ideologies at Loughner's home did they tamper down the blame game. But even if Loughner had been a Sarah Palin supporter, he is to blame and not Sarah Palin. Why, because we are all free moral agents and we will all stand before God to give an account of our own actions. Man has often tried to blame others for his deeds. Adam tried to blame Eve for eating the forbidden fruit, Genesis 3.12. King Saul tried to blame the people for his disobedience when some of the Amalekites and their livestock were spared, 1 Samuel 15.15. Today people try to blame society for their individual actions, or their environment, or the culture of greed, and the list just goes on and on. The fact is we all face temptation, we all fall short of the grace of God, we all need forgiveness, and we all will be judged individually for what we have or have not done. "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad" (2 Corinthians 5.10). Just as each individual must be convicted of the Gospel, must repent of their sins, must confess Jesus as the Son of God, and must be baptized for the remission of their sins; we will be judged individually and not collectively. Reading through the first 3 chapters of Revelation one sees Jesus writing to the 7 churches of Asia. Some of those churches were doing well but a number of them had serious problems. In particular, to the church at Sardis Jesus said, "I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead... You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy” (Revelation 3.1b, 4). We may wonder how a collective group could be condemned but individuals be pleasing to God. The answer is as individuals we are not in fellowship with the wicked deeds of the majority. My point is even when surrounded by evil we as individuals are to obey God. Second, it is amazing the impact one person can have on the lives of others. In this case the impact was for evil. Loughner killed six people; six total strangers. They did not know the gun man and for that matter they did not know each other. Yet, their lives and the lives of their families were changed forever which why life is uncertain. That is the way of life for better or worse. Solomon spoke of the time and chance happening to all of us, Ecclesiastes 9.11, yet the stranger’s influence maybe for good or for evil cause. We cannot control everything around us yet we can control ourselves and we can have an impact on others for good. Our duty is to be the salt and light of the world, Matthew 5.13-16. We may get discouraged by the negativity around us but the darker the night the brighter the light. Let us live in such a way that those around us will be blessed. Ten righteous people could have saved Sodom and Gomorrah; who's to say you and nine others today could not spare our nation from God's wrath. Third and finally, sacrificial love was displayed. Dorwan Stoddard, age 76, was killed by Loughner when Dorwan threw his body on top of his wife, Mary, who had been hit by two bullets. Others risked their lives trying to stop the gun man and protect those who had been hit. One staffer is created with saving the life of Giffords by apply pressure on her head wound thus stopping the bleeding. Husbands are told to love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for His church, Ephesians 5. 25. Such a sacrifice is motivated by love. Those we love we protect and help. Dorwan loved his wife and gave himself for her. Who could have done better? -- Dennis Tucker |