Being and Doing (Where Do We Go After Stoneman Douglas?)

Be still and know that I am God!  (Psalm 46:10)

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy. (Proverbs 31:8-9)

Another school shooting tragedy in our country, this one here in South Florida.  We have all seen the pictures of crying and scared students, SWAT teams with weapons drawn.  On Wednesday I went to Stoneman Douglas soon after news of the shooting broke to be helpful in any way I could as a pastor.  Once there, I held the hand of a crying mother waiting to hear word of her child.  I watched anxious parents embrace tired and shocked children.  I saw first responders with focus, compassion, and pain in their eyes.  I sat with an uncle who quietly waited to hear something about his nephew, after the student’s parents had been taken by police into the school.  My heart was breaking…it still is.  At times I can’t stop the tears that keep welling up.

I am left now with the question, what can I do?  Perhaps you have wondered the same.  I am tired of how we too often point out the problems, shake our heads, and then go back to life as normal.  In the face of this tragedy we cannot be silent, in our words or actions. 

The Bible gives us two important ways to respond to evils’ such as this:  being and doing.  The above passages remind us that it is important to be still and know God in moments such as this, but also that we should strive to do the good we can, to make the changes we can, and improve life for others. 

Our first move in the face of such evil is “being”, to come and be in the presence of the God who comforts, heals, and weeps with us.  We must listen carefully for God in moments like this.  We can pray for the victims, the offender, our community, and ourselves.  In shootings like this, though, we are dealing with an evil that is greater than human strength and ability and we will not be able to conquer it on our own.  This is why “being” in the presence of God is so important. 

The importance of “being” does not mean that we should stop “doing”, though.  In the Bible, God’s people are called upon to work proactively to eliminate injustice and oppression, to make changes that will make life better for the poor and vulnerable.  We can’t ignore the problem.  Our children are the vulnerable here and we can no longer afford to keep doing nothing…we will only get the same results.  So here are some things I suggest:

1.      Take the spiritual life seriously:  No change will be lasting without a change in our hearts.  No matter how many laws we pass, if our hearts remain unchanged it is only a matter of time until evil shows up again.  There is a cost to abandoning our spiritual lives for busyness, entertainment and sports.  Things like faith, hope, and love become more foreign, rather than second nature.  Giving spiritual things priority in our lives, though, builds a solid foundation of love and grace.  These are what ground us in times like these and truly diminishes evil in the world. Recommit your life to an active faith/spirituality.  Go to church this Sunday, and the Sunday after that, and so on and so on…grow in your love for God and others.

2.      BUT…we must also change what we can:  Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “It may be true that the law cannot change the heart, but it can restrain the heartless.”  There are things that we can do to minimize the harm, to limit who gets guns and the types of guns they can get.  I do believe it is time for reasonable changes to our gun laws.  There are better ways to proactively and compassionately care for those with mental illness.  There are things we can do to make our children safer, and we must do so in God’s name, to stand up for the vulnerable. 

3.     Commit to a non-violent way of being:  After a careful study of the life of Jesus, Martin Luther King, Jr. adopted a non-violent way of life based on six principles:  Non-violence is a way of life for courageous people (it does not back away from evil); it seeks to win friendship and understanding; it seeks to defeat injustice, not people; it holds that suffering can educate and transform people and societies; it chooses love instead of hate; it believes that the universe is on the side of justice.  This is the way I want to live my life, and the person that I will try to be going forward.  Love is the strongest force available and one person living these principles can change the world.  Just look at Jesus. 

So in the wake of the Stoneman Douglas School shooting, how will you “be” with God?  Remember you can’t stand against such evil using your own strength and reserves.  Also, what will you “do”?  As followers of Jesus, we can’t stand by pointing out the problems or hide away as if nothing is happening. We must live something better.  We must call for justice.  Last, what will your way of life be in the world?  Will you live in a way that diminishes violence and increases love? 

Together we are the hands and feet of Jesus,

Brett