Just Shine On

I am just one person, living in a grieving country; a small part of this troubled world. We the people, are heartbroken about the increasing amount of tragedies that contribute to a river of blood which knows no borders.

I read the news and every day I read of a bombing in one place, a shooting in another, attacks that are taking place worldwide and with different motives. I will not use this post to point fingers, to condemn any one race, religion, sexuality, or profession as a whole. The real issue here, is that *human beings*, created in God’s image, are dying, suffering, and hurting.

Less than a week ago Americans celebrated Independence Day. We wore red, white, and blue, lined up to watch parades, and gathered to watch fireworks explode in the night sky. We waved tiny flags, had cookouts, and expressed pride in our heritage as Americans. To be American is to be pioneers for freedom, justice, and happiness across the world. It’s to be a beacon of hope for countries less fortunate than ourselves. All of these things we celebrated.

Now, not even a week later, we are killing each other in the streets; events that follow on the heels of one of the largest shootings in America, on top of all the rest of the pain going on worldwide.

How can we celebrate freedom with such unity one day, and then turn upon our fellow Americans the next?

What our country is today, is quite the opposite of what our God-loving Founding Fathers wanted. While some improvements have definitely been made since then, we still have very far to go before we are a nation to truly be proud of…one where all of it’s citizens are protected from evil. One that protects and comes to the aid of other countries against injustice. One where corruption is not so widespread and severe, and one where no one is above the law. One where peace, truth, and faith reign, instead of fear, prejudice, and retaliation. No innocent person should fear for their life simply because of their race, religion, sexuality, profession, or any other factor.

This is an open letter to my fellow Americans, but also to my fellow human beings around the world. We the people, need to work together to bring about peace.

“There are things we can do, but from the things that work there are only two, and from the two that we choose to do, peace will win, and fear will lose.” ~Twenty One Pilots

There are always going to be bad people in the world. But there are also always going to be good people in the world, too. And sometimes, unfortunately, there are good people who make poor decisions. In those situations, anger and retaliation is not the answer. Because that’s when grace needs to be extended. Understanding and empathy needs to be shared. Grief needs to be consoled, love needs to reign, and Christ’s light needs to be shined.

If we are united through the smaller issues that threaten our country, then we will be strong enough to deal with the terrors that are gripping our world.

Instead of taking the actions of one bad person or one poor decision, and then retaliating by killing more innocent people, we need to heal these issues, and focus on the bigger problems…those who let hatred and evil rule their hearts, and purposely threaten life worldwide.

Lord, we pray for Your healing, Your help, and Your hope. We ask that You strengthen and unite us, and help all to realize the preciousness of life, and the true meaning of justice. Teach us how to be more like You. We ask for Your protection from those who seek to promote fear, hatred, chaos, and violence, and we pray for the conversion of their hearts, that they choose all that is good in Your sight. Amen.

~Alexis Grace

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