While the world recoils in horror at the havoc you have wrought, I want you to know something. I have tears for the terribly tragic loss of these beautiful people you have cut down who will never have the opportunity to reach their potential. But, believe it or not, I have tears for you, too. While those parents prepare to lay their babies to rest, I wonder if there’s anyone there for you. Because I have a feeling there hasn’t been…probably for a very, very long time.
I don’t know you. We are just beginning to get some details about who you are. I know you were adopted. I know your adopted father died several years ago and your adopted mother died in November. Your teachers tried to help from as far back as sixth grade. I heard the impassioned speech one of your former classmates made. She said they always knew there was something wrong.
I don’t know your whole story. I know you were adopted as an infant. But, I’d be willing to bet any amount of money that you were quiet and shy as a young child. Awkward. You didn’t fit in. You were bullied. You were never picked to be on the team. You were labeled as that weird kid. You didn’t get invited to birthday parties and sleepovers. You were lonely, sad, depressed and isolated, I can just about guarantee that. And you were angry. You lashed out with little self control.
Did you ever have someone to hold you and rock you and tell you how much you were loved? Did you have someone to take you to church and teach you about how much Jesus loves you? You had mental health issues and teachers tried and tried tried to help. But you somehow fell through the cracks.
I know this isn’t going to be the most popular post right now because moms and dads are putting their children in the ground as we speak. People are angry. People are crying out for change and somehow there needs to be change. If you never had access to those guns while you were in such pain, I can pretty much guarantee there would be seventeen families enjoying each other’s company tonight instead of trying to figure out how to keep on living. I don’t know how we could have prevented this tragedy but we as a nation need to figure it out. Now…before it happens again. Because…it WILL happen again.
While I cry for those who are in pain tonight, I shed tears for you as well. I’m so sorry you felt this was your only way to be heard. I’m sorry you didn’t get the help you needed. I’m sorry you didn’t know how to find your way back from the abyss. I’m sorry you lost hope. I know you are broken, and you will never walk free in the sunshine again. You won’t get married and have babies and vacations and grow old in a job you love and look forward to retirement. This is the price you will pay for the choices you made. There’s nothing that can be done about that. But I want you to know something….and this I know beyond a shadow of a doubt.
God loves you.
God STILL loves you. And so do I. You wanna know why? Because the God I know loves ALL of his children…equally. He loves you exactly the same way as he loves me and your mom and the policemen who captured you and your attorney and the judge and all the moms and dads and students of that school in Florida. Who can you think of that’s really, really good? The Pope? Mother Teresa? Billy Graham? Joel Osteen? Our Father in heaven doesn’t love you one bit less than he loves them. God hates the sin…but he loves the sinner.
That doesn’t mean you won’t be judged. You will…by the court of man and the court of God. But you can be forgiven. If you haven’t already, you can ask Jesus into your life and I promise you will never be alone again. You will always have someone who loves you. So, while I pray for those families your actions shattered, I will also be praying for you. I will pray that you seek shelter with God. I will pray that you get the help you need. I pray that you will talk to God every hour, every day, for the rest of your life.
A spirit of forgiveness is a noble thing. I hope those to whom you transgressed will someday find it in their hearts to forgive you. For their own benefit as much as anything. It is the hardest thing to wrap our minds around when some sins seem so much worse than others. God’s heart is broken over this, yet he still loves you. Always has, always will. ❤
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”
Romans 5:6-11 NIV
Amen. My heart breaks for all. I thought about those same verses. I pray someone along his path will lead him to the Lord.
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God loves us all the same. I agree…interesting remark as I recently asked my pastor( we call them workers) if God did love us all the same. He said no.
I dare to disagree with him. God shows mercy and love in every event. May I never vary from what my heart knows…
Amen and thank you. I long to walk in wisdom, faith, hope and charity.
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Lots of assumptions. Do you personally know about no party invites? He is pure evil – committed an act of pure evil. With your line of reasoning should we fear all adopted, shy and awkward boys? Or should we rail against evil? All the sympathy and gun control in the world will not stop pure evil. It has existed with man from the beginning. Eye for an eye is another bible verse.
Nancy, you are absolutely correct…there has always been pure evil in the world. And, as I said, I don’t know everything about this young man. I certainly am not saying we should fear adopted, shy, lonely boys. I believe I said we should love on them. And, again…you are right. That doesn’t always change things. You can love till the cows come home and still things can go desperately wrong.
My message today was that God loves us all…equally. Thank you for adding to the conversation. I appreciate all sides. ❤️
Ginny, your message is TRUE. God does love us all equally- He is LOVE! Never was it made more evident for me than when I attended my ten year old great nephews funeral ( he and his baby brother were both killed by their dad-then he took his own life) my niece didn’t want his fathers family at the service. The priest spoke to us and told us they were also grieving the loss of their son and grandchildren. He told of God’s love for us All and of His Mercy. I will never forget the healing that priest began in our hearts and in our families that day. We all have a responsibility daily to look around for all of humanity’s walking wounded and be Christ for them. ❤️❤️❤️
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You have a great sphere of influence. To make the statement that he wasn’t invited to parties and the like presents it as fact. Or fake news. His parents chose to adopt. No adopted child is in a forced situation. His parents didn’t choose to die. He chose to kill 17 people. Pure evil. Please do not discount the evilness of this situation by looking for places and ways to save him by placing blame in places it doesn’t belong. He made a choice. While we are encouraged to love all, God recognizes evil continuously throughout the Bible. He encourages us to stay away and offers an eye for an eye. Placing blame where it doesn’t belong is accepting evil.
Again, Nancy…you are correct. The blame lies in the perpetrator. He’s the one who made the plan and carried it out. I just have to wonder if there was something else that could have been done earlier…much earlier…in his life. I am in no way minimizing the impact of the issue. I just pray for all involved. I knew this post would be a hot topic for some. The views I express on my blog are just that…my views, my opinions, my stories. I think most people understand that and don’t quote me on CNN as a resource of facts. I just tell it how I see it. I do hope that my “sphere of influence” spreads God’s light, love, forgiveness, and mutual respect. ❤️
Ginny, I think you made it clear that you don’t know all the facts in this person’s life. You didn’t purport to share news. You just expressed questions, empathy, and love. My adopted son was and is very much loved and yet, he, too suffered bullying and pain because of his social awkwardness. Thanks be to God, he survived those teenage years intact and continues to grow in maturity and wisdom. I constantly pray that God will lead him in the way He wants him to go. I thank you for sharing your Christian love for this broken boy. In addition to my prayers for the victims’ families, I will add my prayers to yours that He finds his way to know and accept Jesus in his life.
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You’re so right….and yes, I’m sure this will happen again. Somehow I’m thinking our nation has gone so far downhill that it’s no way to get back up. There’s so much hate, turmoil, drugs/alcohol, broken homes & the list goes on…our grandkids are facing such uncertainty….so scary.??❤️
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Sandra, with God all things are possible. Even America. We must humble ourselves and pray for our nation. We must also repent as a nation.
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God bless you, Ginny. Thank you for your viewpoint and the reminder that I am a Christian and God has forgiven me for my harsh first thoughts of this young man who took so much. I’m glad you choose to continue to lean on God for your thoughts and words. I admire your faithfulness. And I appreciate your daily reminders to me about God’s forgiveness and love for all of us. ❤️
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Thank you for the courage to write this post. Do any of us know how to “perfectly” raise a child? I certainly don’t! I never had kids but I remember my childhood and I have often said that no child is as bad as some people think they are OR are they as good as their parents think they are. I have done many stupid, bad things and watched “good” kids do worse and maybe never get caught. I am blessed that I was born in a time before many drugs and all this tech stuff. We lived in the country where we knew all our neighbors and they helped keep us in the straight and narrow. I was raised to respect others. Now teachers, bus drivers and such are laying their lives on the line to contend with the violence from 7 and 8 year olds! I just heard from a first grade teacher that one of her pupils gets himself ready in the morning because his mother doesn’t get up that early. Gosh, I really miss Mayberry!!!
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I agree with you Ginny. And I think he probably didn’t get invited to many things. No one interviewed has said they used to be his friend and had to stop being his friend because of his actions/attitudes. Not one person claimed they had ever done anything with this kid. And you know the news media would be trying to find someone from even his early childhood. What I have seen mentioned a number of times is that he was troubled from early on and that it’s been stated (truthfully or not) he may have been on the autism spectrum. Kids with autism sometimes (and I am saying SOMETIMES) can have difficulty with reality/fantasy. It can be difficult for them to be sure what they see/hear is real or if it’s pretend. Over years of exposure to both and lots of explaining they can learn where that line is. I’m not saying he didn’t understand what he was doing. He may not however have understood the full ramifications of his actions, the lifelong consequences to all involved. Most kids with autism are lucky to have a single real friend. Some learn how to develop friendships but many do not. I also am horrified by what he did, but I am also horrified for him, because now the reality of it all is hitting him too, and he has no friends to miss him. I wonder if even the family he was staying with will visit him. It’s all horrible and sad.
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This is a beautiful example of love and acceptance. I had tears in my eyes while reading this. I too hope this young man finds Gods love in his future.
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