What unspeakable horror for our fellow Americans to experience as occurred in Aurora, Colorado 2 nights ago. Unexplainable apart from an honest assessment of the human condition. Many words have been written and will be written about who this killer was and motives behind his crime. I have read such comments as “sick”, “deranged”, “low life”, etc. While all these descriptions are not false, I think we miss the point if we Christians point fingers solely at him. In thinking about what God would have me take away from this event, I was reminded that left to myself, I too am capable of such unspeakable evil. We all are. Our sinful condition is too great to underestimate. If we look within our own hearts, it is not hard to see the anger, impatience, jealousy, hurt, or whatever that lurks beneath the surface. Think of a time when you were really angry with your spouse or children, and what you felt deep within, perhaps even what you were thinking, though you might never have voiced it. Then thank God for the restraint and self-control that He grants in those situations. Think of those persons without community, without friends, without a church family, without love, without forgiveness, without hope, and then the despair and anger that they must feel every day. Were it not for the grace of God, I could be that person. And so could you. Sure, most people do not become serial killers. Most become honest, law abiding citizens. But even that is a gift of God, the protective gift of restraint on an otherwise sinful culture. We do not believe we are all that bad because God is good to shield us from a full onslaught of evil all the time. He could allow evil in its vilest, purest form, like occurred Thursday night in Aurora, Colorado, to present itself in our face each and every day. And there are some places in the world, no doubt, where “innocent” men, women, and children witness these things on a regular basis. We are blessed -- blessed to live in a country where God has not abandoned us to our own devices completely, where He has seen fit to shower His grace on the righteous and the unrighteous. When these horrific events happen, it is something to be mourned. We should be outraged. We should feel deep sorrow for the victims. We should pray for those affected and yes, even for our enemy, the one who committed such atrocities. But I think perhaps even more importantly, we should not let this tragedy go by without turning the finger back towards ourselves and examining our own hearts to ask the question, “Why not me, Lord? Why am I not as lost as this man? Why did you choose me as the object of your love and not your wrath?” The answer lies only in the cross. Jesus loves me, this I know. Perhaps never on this side of heaven will we be able to fully satisfy the question of why a good God allowed such raw evil to fall upon these families of the men, women, and children who lost a loved one this week. Even though this man has committed a crime that is beyond belief, I daresay we will not understand the depth of the Gospel until we can agree with the Apostle Paul ”This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” * The Gospel does not become so amazing until we understand the depths from which we came. This tragic event reminds us of the depths from which we came. May we not forget this lesson, and somehow as only God can, may He use it for His glory to bring many from death to life.*KJV, 1 Timothy 1:15
