My heart hurts. — Other's pain ≠ your platform & agenda! - PROJECT: Faith Journey

PROJECT: Faith Journey

This is the audio version of Jen’s blog post titled: “My heart hurts…” After posting it today, we decided to do a podcast quick insight of Jen reading the post. If it does not begin automatically, you can play the audio version above.

It hurts for the 50 lives that were lost by senseless hate.

It hurts for the family who has to go back home to Nebraska without their 2 year old from what was supposed to be a fun-filled, joyous getaway.

It hurts for my friends who just found that their husband/father lost his life in a car accident.

In reality…

The truth is, there are a lot of things going on in this fallen world that are not awesome and cannot be explained by mere platitudes.

But, you know what else doesn’t help?

It doesn’t help to push it away like it never happened.

It doesn’t help to blame others.

It doesn’t help to push your agenda, whatever that might be.

…These things are not helpful, nor are they productive in any way! Why can’t we just grieve with those who grieve?

When did it become ok to use every horrible situation to promote your views on guns or your prejudices against a people group? When did it become ok to point fingers at grieving parents who literally had to fight an alligator for the life of their 2 year old son and lost?

Friends, people are hurting! Period. Stop blaming and start loving!

I grieve with all the loved ones who lost people at Pulse less than a week ago. I can’t even imagine what that was like to receive the phone call that your son or daughter or boyfriend or girlfriend or best friend or whatever was murdered by a hate filled gun man. They were people, with real lives and real families who now have to figure out how to continue living without them.

Their pain ? your platform & agenda

We have become so desensitized by the violence that we separate ourselves from the pain. We can’t afford to do that, friends!

This world needs people who get down in the yucky, uncomfortable places of life and just love.

It is not comfortable to go there and to grieve with those who grieve. It is so much easier to brush it aside, say a little prayer, and move on. It is so much easier to use their pain as a platform for our agenda. It is so much easier to say the parents were negligent then to realize that it could have been any one of us.

None of us are perfect, and anyone who claims to be the perfect parent is a flat out liar. We have all made mistakes, we have all had lapses in judgement. The only difference is my lapse thankfully did not result in the death of my child, but it could have.

Please friends, can we stop throwing stones or pushing our agenda!? Instead, can we grieve, deeply? Can we pray fervently, like we would want if we were in the same unfortunate situation? Can we be the hands and feet of Jesus instead of the stone throwing Pharisees?

So, today I choose to pray, I choose to cry, and I choose to love.

To the loved ones of the victims of the horrific act at Pulse, I grieve with you and I am praying for you.

To the parents of the precious 2 year old who lost their life, I grieve with you and I am praying for you.

To my friends who lost their husband and father today, I grieve with you and I am praying for you.

Let us be love, let us be just like Jesus, and let us shut our mouths if we can’t be loving and encouraging because that is what the world needs!