This little light of mine...

I, like many others, am heartbroken over the events that took place this last Friday in Connecticut. I have a kindergarten age son and I cannot imagine the heartbreak and horror that this community is feeling right now. I see many, many people asking "Where was God?" or saying that if we had left God in our schools, this would never have happened. Dear readers, God *never* left our schools. Romans 8: 38-39 assures us that there is nothing at all that can separate us from God's love. Nothing. God was with every teacher, every staff member, every child, every first responder for every single moment of that day. 

I also see a lot of despair, a lot of fear, a lot of hopelessness. People are crying out in the darkness and asking: "Where is the light? What is there to believe in?" In the first chapter of John, verses 1-5 we find the answer. (From The Message) 

1-2 The Word was first,
the Word present to God,
    God present to the Word.
The Word was God,
    in readiness for God from day one.
3-5 Everything was created through him;
    nothing—not one thing!—
    came into being without him.
What came into existence was Life,
    and the Life was Light to live by.
The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness;
    the darkness couldn’t put it out.

Every day of our lives the darkness is struggling to put out the light of God in this world. Evil strives to extinguish God's light within each of us. Whenever we are confronted with the kind of tragedy, and horror, and disaster of something like Sandy Hook it is so easy to allow ourselves to fall into the trap of thinking that God has abandoned us.  God is with us, always, everywhere. There is nowhere that He is not present with us, no circumstance where His hand is not upon us. His light shines in the world and the darkness, no matter how it tries, cannot and will not overcome that light.

God calls us to be the light of the world, to share His light with all people. Remember the song, this little light of mine? When you feel hopeless, and afraid, and anxious, remember that you are to let your light shine. Don't let Satan blow it out. Let God's love, and grace, and peace fill you and shine out of you. This tragedy does not change the truth of who God is. We are the provision God made for the world in times of tragedy. We are called to be his people, to comfort the wounded, to weep with those who weep. Have faith. Although my heart breaks in this tragedy for those families who have lost so much, who would give anything to bring their babies home again, I rejoice knowing that they are with Jesus and I pray that the comfort, and peace, and strength of God be with all who are mourning, as we all mourn with them.