The aftermath of Mourning and Loss

July 9, 2016

It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart.
(Ecclesiastes 7:2 – ESV)

So, after further thinking on the events of this week I think I’ve finally come to the conclusion of my thoughts. I do not mourn because black people were shot. I do not mourn because cops were shot. I mourn because those who are made in the image of God died. Now they go to eternal life or eternal death with no option of second chances. I also mourn because of the general mistreatment of one image of God against another.

Theologically sin (def. actions that are in opposition to God’s holiness) is the culprit. Whether that is sin in the general sense (‘general’ meaning that we live in a fallen world) or the personal sins of an individual (the tangible action of an autonomous individual).

Most of my answers have been rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So I then wrestle with whether or not the Gospel is the right answer or even appropriate answer. In my prayers to God the Father I have found myself asking, ‘what personal steps do I need to take to be part of the solution?’ and I can’t even seem to find an answer to satisfy my own question. So I continue to pray to God the Father for the Gospel of Peace to be spread to those who need more than they have see or experienced. Then I wonder if the Gospel is really enough or just a cheap theological sellout of an answer.

And that is where I get humbled every time. If the eternal forgiveness of an eternally holy God is not enough of a solution to the sins of this world, then why bother with the Gospel at all?

I see Christians who are unable to forgive another Christian who has hurt them. Then I wonder if they understand that they are guilty of a worse crime. I see a world dying for peace but refusing eternal life. I am overwhelmed with the cries for help that come across my social networks with every push notification and screen refresh. I’ve in many ways become calloused to the idea that people are suffering. I struggle with moving forward in my daily life while people die (murder, health, war, famine). I struggle with living in one of the worlds most richest economy and not deserving such a privilege. I am not a Christian who lives in mental luxury. I am a Christian broken that I alone am insufficient. I am a Christian daily searching out my own sins so that God can cleanse me, fix me and use me for his glory.