April 23, 2013
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No More Hurting People
Many of you have seen this picture of Martin Richard, the 8 year old boy who was killed at the Boston Marathon when a bomb exploded next to him. This was taken during his first communion. This young child had no idea that in such a short amount of time, he would be meeting Jesus face to face. The story is sad. No one wants to see a child get brutally murdered. We want to see children grow and become adults and become something greater than what the previous generation has to offer. If you ask me though, Martin was already great.
If I could see through the eyes of a child again… It’s like Jesus said, “I assure you that if you do not turn your lives around and become like this little child, you will not enter the kingdom of Heaven.” Children not only understand, but they believe the simplest concepts. Peace. You can not proclaim peace with a sword in hand. Jesus even condemns the idea. It’s so simple, a child can understand it. No more hurting people.
And then there is these two. Two adult men who created a horrific act. The man on the left is proof of Jesus’ own words, “Those who live by the sword will die by the sword.” The one on the right, is still so young. You would think, why would such a bright young man throw it all away to hurt people? Both of these young men were incredibly misguided, and by ruining the lives of others, they ruined their own lives. The cause they believed they were promoting became a cause that many people fear.
When people see these two, they see hatred. They see evil. They see terror. That’s not how God wants us to see them though. God wants us to see these men as lost sheep; people he loves dearly and searches for night and day to bring them home. Dzhokhar, the young man on the right, is still alive. It’s not too late to view this person as a person created in the image of God.
A Christian man who is a friend of mine on facebook said of Dzokhar, “We got’im. I hope we hang this kid from the statue of Liberty.”
I don’t know how any Christan person can enjoy such an image. A death is a death. A murder is a murder. Killing those in God’s image is like crucifying Jesus again.
Christians, try not to let your emotions control the better of you. Bless those who curse you and do good to those who wish you harm. This is the way of Christ. This is the way of peace. Choose to love, not to hate and we all will see that we are getting closer and closer to a world where there is “no more hurting people”. God’s kingdom is a kingdom of peace. Remember, Jesus did say, “Blessed are those who make peace because they will be called God’s children”, just like Martin.
Comments (7)
I totally agree with you. Kind of sick when people who claim to be peace loving transform into a lynch mob mentality.
This is sort of different as to the nature of your post, but I think Romans 13 gives governments the right to arrest and kill wrong doers. I see nothing wrong in looking to law enforcement agencies to bring this young man to justice.
As individual Christians, we need to be careful as to how we respond to those who do evil. You have covered this issue well.
Flesh, my friend, is pretty strong with me. It’s extremely hard to forgive people like that. It’s something I need to work on because I tend to hold onto grudges and it’s… unhealthy. Terrorist happen to be at the top of my list of grudges. Whether it’s bombs or bullets riddling a movie theater, peace is a hard concept to believe in…
Hopefully, I’ll get points for trying.
you are absolutely right. i’m not a believer in an eye for an eye. i’ll let the Lord take care of it.–karen
@ShimmerBodyCream - That’s always bothered me. What bothers me more is when Christians try to justify it, going out-rightly against the teachings of the person they claim to follow. There are no excuses with this.
@HUMOR_ME_NOW - Romans 13 is a bit of a stumbling block with me because I simply don’t know enough about it to decipher it. Instead, I choose to go by the words of the fullest revelation of God, Jesus Christ. You are entitled to your opinion, but Jesus spoke against this mentality. And not to mention the slippery slope of Romans 13! This was written 2000 years ago in an entirely different context. Surely God did not put Hitler in charge… or Stalin… or Gaddafi… Instead, I believe this is a separation between government and Religion. I don’t care what the government does. I care about how Christians respond.
@Jack_Hawksmoor - I am by no means perfect. I don’t think we should be expected to be, but I do believe we are expected to try… Forgiveness is hard, but it’s a necessity. It’s the basis of Christianity.
@lifeontheWink - I do believe in justice. I believe this young man should pay for his actions, but I also think that because God’s been gracious to us, we should also be gracious to those who do us wrong. That may look different from scenario to scenario.
That man was a child once. Everyone has the same capacity for good or evil. It’s just that some choose evil. It is sad.
I like that you shared the pictures of Martin. The media has so many of the evil-doers, but not so many of the sweet boy and the others that passed. Those are the faces I wish to remember.