Each Day Already is a Challenge

A Hurting World - updated at 4:30 pm

Oh my. Like many in the US, I have been watching the developments of the shooting at Virginia Tech. They've been releasing information about the victims today. I don't have the names in front of me. The TV is on in the next room and I've been listening while praying and pondering.

One professor survived the Holocaust. Yesterday he saved the lives of some of his students. One of the professors was a top researcher for Cerebral Palsy

Some of the students who died were seniors, ready to graduate. They might have been world-changers. We'll never know.

So far, there is not a lot of information being released about the shooter. He left a note "railing against debauchery and rich kids." He was a loner, they've said.

He was a loner. Doesn't that sound familiar? How much recent devastation has been caused by loners?

That made me think of the responsibility Christians have to love and cherish and embrace our neighbors. Loners are our neighbors. Do we do enough to help make those who are loners feel welcome and a part of our world? Or do we worry more about invading their privacy? If they seem to choose the life of a loner, do we then put them on our daily prayer list, knowing that God can reach people even when we cannot?

Everyone around the world is showing sympathy and compassion for those who were injured and for the families of those who died. We need to include the family of the young man responsible for this killing in our prayers as well.

But maybe, just maybe, we need to look around our neighborhoods, our businesses, our schools to find other loners. A word or an act of kindness might be all he/she needs to help balance his/her world.

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For some reason, the events of yesterday and the continuing news coverage today reminded me of my own inadequacies. I was drawn to Proverbs 31. I Googled that, and found an excellent study, one that says, "If you consider the qualities of a virtuous woman in modern English, it may surprise you to find out you are more like her than you thought."

Gail Millman writes, "We are not just "women of works." We are women under grace. God's grace (see 2 Timothy 1:9). We can't do everything and we can't be everything to everyone. And we shouldn't be driven by such unrealistic expectations. Many women today are trying to do too much and they don't leave enough room for God or the appreciation of His creation.

What we do, what we accomplish, what we achieve, are all good "works." But God is looking at something far more valuable. He's looking at our hearts. And He loves us no matter if we are enjoying a lazy day or moving so fast that dust swirls in our wake. He loves us when our kitchen is tidy and the beds are made. He loves us when the sink is chock full of dishes and the floor is sticky. He simply loves us for who we are—His creation."

Here's the link to read the whole thing: http://www.christianity.ca/family/women/2004/01.002.html



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I just got an email message about the 56th Annual National Day of Prayer on May 3. This year, the theme is America, Unite in Prayer. How appropriate, don't you think?

2 Chron 7:14-15 NIV
"...if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

Check here to see if there's an event in your area.
http://www.ndptf.org/home/index.cfm