An army of saints

HAVE WE grown numb to it all? Images fly across our screens. Headlines float by, and maybe we change the channel. But the images comes back to haunt us. So many dead. So many wounded. And then we turn away. Or we tell ourselves, how tragic, how sad. But what can I do? There’s nothing I can do. Let’s say a prayer. But there’s more to it than that, isn’t there?

One thing you can do is look deeper. I know it hurts. I know you feel powerless. I know you feel afraid. I do too. But if what happened in Uvalde, Texas does not wake us up, I fear that nothing will. Grade schoolers were shot dead while at school. Again. Has that sunk in yet?

Have we grown so jaded to it all? Are we simply bored with hearing bad news? Wars and sickness. Mass shootings. High food and gas prices. People losing their sanity,  losing hope. Oh well,  life goes on, we say. What’s on Netflix?

Then we wonder why things don’t change. We ask why things aren’t better. Maybe it’s because I don’t care enough. Neither do you. Neither does anyone. If I’m okay, then that’s enough. But is it? Sooner or later, the agony and anguish hit home.

In case you haven’t noticed, we are at war. The casualties are neighbors, friends, family, or someone’s child. And we have to fight for them, for us. I don’t mean to take up arms. No, not that. Never. But we can shine a light on the greed and corruption directly tied to the death of innocents.

The gunmakers rake in huge sums of cash. They do anything to ramp up sales. Safety gets tossed aside, and families end up burying the dead. The NRA does everything it can to make it easier to sell guns faster since they make a fortune from gunmaker donations. They glorify gun ownership and pump fear into people. They tell lies that say owning a gun makes you safer.

This is not about politics. It’s about money. And that money is stained with the blood of innocent children. And the hands of those who make the money have blood on their hands as well. If I am more worried about my gun rights instead of the lives of grade schoolers, then something is horribly, terribly wrong.

Personally, in my heart and based on my faith in Jesus Christ, I find no justification whatsoever to own a gun (except for hunting game). But if you are a gun owner, take responsibility for the freedom you have and hold the gun industry accountable. Sadly, some will just go browse the internet for more ammo.

Don’t just sit there in a trance. Learn about what’s going on. Do your homework. Dig into how ridiculously easy it is to buy an assault rifle, AK-47, or AR-15. Yes, these are used for hunting. For hunting humans.

Even if it’s not gun control, get informed about something, anything where you see pain and sorrow. Then take action. Get out there and speak up, open your wallet, lend a hand. And yes, pray — pray hard — as if your life depends on it, because just maybe someone’s does.

Give of yourself. This is the way of the Lord.

You might ask, where do I start? It’s easy. No doubt there is a crisis that has hit close to home. Perhaps you lost a loved one or someone was hurt. Go there then. Act. Give. Do it to honor them and remember them. Be not afraid.

OUR TIMES call for saints. But not just a handful of holy people — we need a vast army of saints. Do not be afraid to desire this, that is, the full indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This doesn’t make you better than anyone, not at all. It only means you fully grasp that you have been broken and restored by the grace of God.

The Body of Christ has slept for far too long. We must rise up. We cannot wait any longer. No matter how terrified we might be, we must prove that forgiveness, service, and love are far more powerful than any form of violence. Love and mercy save lives, not weapons.

We are already paying a high price for being asleep. And the cost will rise, paid for by souls sent to heaven. So as the Lord commands us, let us take up our cross. Let us follow him and give life.

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“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?         

Matthew 16:24-26

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