Mark Sorensen Whiplash. That’s what it felt like when I arrived home on Sunday following a morning worship service in Harvest spent on the fruit, “joy,” and then learning of the worst mass shooting to have ever occurred on U.S. soil in Orlando. Honestly, my heart breaks hearing and seeing the stories of the many forever impacted by the evil acts that occurred early last Sunday morning and, I’m pretty certain, God’s heart breaks over it all as well.
The shortest verse in the Bible is found in John 11:35 and it contains only two words: “Jesus wept.” The context is key. Jesus had arrived on the scene at a funeral of one of His dear friends and saw the grieving that was happening around him. When He saw Mary, the sister of Lazarus, crying, scripture says that Jesus “was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.” Jesus wept for many reasons. He wept because He was human and hurting over the loss of His friend and He wept because He was angry at the impact death had on those affected by it. Remember. God didn’t make a world filled with sickness, suffering, and death. But sin fractured God’s perfect plan and amidst the beauty and joy among our everyday lives, there’s also brokenness and darkness as well.
So, we weep. We weep over the brokenness. We weep over the loss of life. We push back on the prejudice and hatred we experience in this world, and we, as the children of God created to reflect the hope and love found in the person of Jesus Christ, we exclaim, “not on our watch.”
Remember. To grow the Fruit of the Spirit means to offer that fruit to all we encounter. I can’t think of a better time than to serve the world love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control. Can you?
