Where are you going? by Elizabeth

Elizabeth, our almost 13 year old, asked for control of the blog this evening.  I agreed and this is what she came up with.  The following came completely unbidden from her own heart, I had no input.  Please read through what she wrote and leave comments, if you are moved to do so, and I will pass them on to her.

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Today there was a shooting in my neighborhood. Two people died, one was held hostage, and one was wounded. For me that’s scary. I tried not to show it for others sakes. I’m supposed to be the model for everyone we bring to church. I try to be the strong one for them. We talked about the shooting in youth group, down stairs. I said that even if I were to be held hostage I would not worry because I would go to heaven because I have accepted Christ last year and was baptized on father’s day of last year. Later I was thinking about this and I had one of my conversations in my head. (This happens often) If I were held a gunpoint I would want to say to the shooter that he was getting nothing out of this. Why? Because I was going to a place better than were I was now. I was going to see God. He would only hurt my family, but not me. He would help me. I would go to heaven and he, without accepting Christ, would go to Hell. He could change that. He could drop the gun, kick it into a sewer. He could give himself up, because they would get him anyway. He could apologize to the families that he hurt. It wouldn’t fix any thing with the families, but if he meant it, it would help him. He could accept the consequences and go to jail, because no matter where you are, place wise or spiritually, he could still turn to God and God would accept him. In my head he threw down the gun and started to cry because he realized what he had done with his life and I comforted him. When he ask why I would say because I’ve killed someone to. I’ve killed Jesus Christ.  He was nailed to the cross. I put the nails in his hands. I put the crown on his head. He was the son of God, he could have come down off the cross, but he didn’t, he stayed there. He died for me. I killed him. Yet still when I am sad he is there. When I have fallen he picks me up and brushes me off. When I cry he holds, he wipes away my tears. I do the same for you and I thank you. I thank you because you showed me who Christ is. You showed me how to be his hands and feet.

I thank God for keeping me safe today. I thank God for keeping my family and friends safe today. This may sound strange and mean to the families suffering. I wish this hadn’t happened, but it did, so I thank God for showing me, through this, what Christ is all about. Who Christ is. What life is. Who I need to be for Christ. Who I need to be so I am Jesus’s  hands and feet.   

A prayer for the families suffering

Dear Lord,

We come to you today because of a very sad event. I want to praise you for those who are safe. I want to pray for those who aren't. I want to pray for the two dead, that they knew you and are watching me write this from heaven with you. I pray their families who lost their loved ones. I pray that they are comforted by you. I pray for the wounded, that he is healed and is able to go back to his family knowing that it was by the grace of God that he is here. Gods grace like rain. I pray for the one held hostage that you give them peace and allow them to return to their families as well. I pray for the ones who are worried about all of this, give them peace. Finally I pray for the shooter. I pray he finds you. I pray he realizes you are there. I pray he stops and turns to you and then your grace like rain will fall down on him. This I pray in your name and your wonderful sons name.

Amen                      

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