Words Sometimes Just Spill Out

I am praying for each family of those that were killed in Aurora, CO, each person that was injured, everyone that was in the theater that evening and the shooter’s family. Even more I am praying for all of us.

With the following statements, I know I am showing my age. I get that I have passed over the line where I now sound like my mother. I don't know if the timing is right to express these thoughts. Yet, I am still going to type my thoughts because I cannot seem to contain the words any longer.

I understand the need after a horrific tragedy to crave laws limiting guns. However, can we really take guns out of the public’s hands and still put them in actor’s hands on the big screen. Do we really believe that children who have been raised on Mortal Kombat and Grand Theft Auto are also being taught to process the difference from video to real life?

We live in a broken world; I make that statement way too many times a day. So, an understandable response might be – yea, we know, Melissa. However, do we know we broke the world? With each drop of violence on television, movies, video games we also continue to crack our society a little more.

Please don’t misunderstand me. I do not own a gun; I don’t have a dog in that fight (haven’t decided if I want you to excuse my pun or not).  I believe Charles Heston made a better Moses than NRA spokesman. I get that more restrictions may help avoid gun related murders. I am not attempting to divert attention from the fact that guns were used to kill people in the theater. I just don’t think it is that simple.

I think we have disregarded mental illness for too long. And I pray that we continue the conversations needed to understand how to prevent these kinds of events in the future.

I think we need to realize we cannot fill our heads and hearts with violence through media and not expect it to have consequences that are not pretty. 

I think we have lost something when a 3 month old is at a midnight showing instead of home.  (Now I know I sound like my mother). Are we helping parents, especially new parents understand how priorities change when a new life comes into theirs?

I think we have also lost something that as I typed the above paragraph I was a little worried (not enough to stop me) that I called out a situation in the midst of grief. We should be able to express when we think something was illogical without facing our own firing squad of the “you’re okay, I’m okay” world (yes, I am a child or the 70s). Sometimes decisions are not smart. Are we allowed to bring wisdom into each other's lives? 

I do know we need God. With each crack of hate and evil, I believe that even more. Someday I hope we will quit bantering back and forth about whose fault things are and understand we all need healing that is only possible through Christ.