Tragedy

Yesterday, December 10, 2009, can go on record for one of the worst days. I am not going to mention any names for privacy sake but its spread all over the news.

We all lost a very dear Christian sister yesterday. We didn't have to. Yesterday, "Jane Doe" was killed by her soon to be ex husband. We are all still trying to make sense of it but the truth of the matter is sometimes in life, there just will be no understanding. Over the past few years this family has gone through a lot of heartache because of this man, this includes her 4 year old daugher and 6 year old son, and her parents who is my preacher. I don't even know what to write. Do you focus on the selfish heartless act of this man or do you focus on the beloved memory of this 29 year old who has been struggling so much lately.

He came to church Wednesday evening. I saw him sitting on the front pew and the first thought I had in my head was that he was trying to get her back once again. We all went to our classes and I finally was able to return to my ladies class to which she was a part of. When we all gathered in the auditorium and had our invitation song, he went forward and asked to be baptized. I thought possibly this was his "breaking point" and he finally was getting it....whatever that meant. I went to hug her after church, not knowing how she was feeling or how this went over for her. She hugged me and said "Please pray for me, I don't know what the motives are behind this" We talked for about 10 minutes just about things she was going through and how she was moving on....finally.

Now I remember the reason I had so much passion for my degree when I received it. There is so much hatred in the word, so much cruelty. I can honestly say that District Atty's offices don't "settle". They try to get the hardest sentence for those who deserve it. He is sitting in jail right now and I pray that he will be there for a very long time. I do not wish the death sentence on him for several reasons. I do not believe in the death sentence and I came to this conclusion after studying my bible for the past few years. It is a sin to murder, God did not give us exceptions. He said that vengeance is His. Believe me folks, what goes around comes around. For the next reason is that it would be too easy. If he receives the death sentence, he won't have to live with what he did. He won't have to walk the prison hallways and think about the family he could have had and how he so easily gave that away. He will have to sit and think about how he tried to manipulate her by getting baptized, an act that is not to be mocked and whoa be to those who do this.

I actually do not feel hatred towards him. I'm actually not technically "mad" either. My heart broke yesterday for the loss of a friend, for a family that has gone through so much and now to deal with this around the Holidays, two children who may not remember specifics on their mother as they grow up, to a little girl who will not have her mother on her prom dates, her regular dates, and on her wedding day. To a son who can't get advice on how to treat his girlfriends. And for those kids loosing both parents in one single act. To parents who just lost their second child to such an awful act. To a church that is mourning over a loss of a Christian sister. For a man that just defiled the law of God in so many ways and for what God has in store for him is probably the scariest thought. And for a young woman that just could not get a break from a jealous mentally unstable man and for what she had to go through yesterday. The realization of how our world is and where it is going. And for the fact that some people want God out of it. And I can't stop thinking of how God must be feeling. Because no matter how mad you get, how much hatred you feel, He created this man. And for humans to do such horrible things, you know that God sees everything and He is the only One that knows what happened.

So I apologize for this being so extremely long but I ask you to stop right now and close your eyes and pray for this family. And I am not just saying that, I really want you to pray right now and ask God to be over this family during this time of heartbreak. They have a long road ahead of them. Their Christian family is definitely here to do anything for them.

Which brings me to my next thought, you never know when your last day will be. You don't need a mentally ill ex to decide that. Car wreck, sickness, etc. you never know. Make sure the people around you know how much you love them. Make sure there is no wondering. Because the days might pass and you may never have that opportunity again.