Batman and Crazy People

Your kids' ages will determine how aware they are of what happened last week in Colorado.  My daughter is 28.  She is also expecting.  She was scheduled to go to the show with a group of friends on Saturday.  She chose not to go; her husband did along with my son.  My son told me later that he noticed when anyone got out of their seat.  My Granddaughter is just shy of 2; she has no idea.  How do we help our kids navigate this situation?  How do we process it?

I was reading this morning in Luke 13:1 - 5; Christ was asked about a similar situation.  Some people were offering sacrifices at Galilee and Pilate had them killed, mixing their blood with the blood of their sacrifices.  He then talked about a situation where a tower fell and killed 18 people.  The one event seems similar to the events in Colorado, a madman, in this case a government leader, chooses to kill people in the act of worship.  In the other a seeming random act takes the life of 18 people.  Christ used the same words in closing His rehearsal of both events, “…but unless you repent, you will likewise perish.”

We are not guaranteed life.  We are not guaranteed our next breath.  Illness, accident, criminal behavior can intervene without warning.  Christ’s counsel, in the face of this uncertainty, was to repent.  In the context He is suggesting that we accept His offer of salvation and quit trying to save ourselves.  For us, this means that we need to examine both our relationship with Christ and make sure that we have shared with those whom we love the importance of committing their lives to Him.

There is no guarantee we will have the opportunity later.