Today was devastating. Heartbreaking. Gut wrenching. Today was the kind of day when I couldn’t help but cry out to God, “Why?” I ache for the those little children whose lives were stolen from them. I ache for those families. I ache for that young man, that his soul was filled with such enveloping hate. I ache for the students who had their innocence stripped from them and are asking questions now that even I, as a jaded adult, have a hard time facing.

I ache.

But here’s what I can’t do. I can’t join the choruses of “Our world is going to hell in a hand basket.” Because I have hope. I believe that our God is the same God of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. I believe that He aches more over this than we can fathom. I don’t have the answers as to why. Years of seminary and 30 years of living in a broken world haven’t led me to all the answers. But these years have led me to know this. Love will always win. We cannot give Evil the power by saying that It’s reigning over this earth. We cannot give Evil that satisfaction. 

These families will be surrounded by our nation. Think of how many children are being hugged tonight and told that they are loved. We have to believe that light will always outshine darkness. I may live in a broken world but I refuse to live in a world where I give Evil the power. I refuse to live in a world where I give more attention to the darkness than the Light. God is still here and sovereign, lets not drown Him out with the dark.

I ache, I pray, and I hope.