Scorn

..or sackcloth?

January 12, 2011 (Wednesday)
Remember “connect the dots?” A pleasant pastime for children (and adults who are closet kids). Lots of fun. Open the book to a page with numbered dots scattered across its face. Start with “1” and draw a line to “2,” and then “3,” etc. When you finish, you will have unwittingly drawn a picture of some kind. The fun was seeing the picture emerge from a senseless group of numbered dots.
As soon as the news of another senseless massacre went out over the airwaves, people started connecting the dots of blame. The Liberals saw only Conservative dots; the Conservatives saw only Liberal dots. Each side of our evenly divided nation sits in judgment upon the other.
Knee jerk conclusions concerning causes of senseless violence cannot possibly have value. In fact, they only fan the flames. One person’s guess is as good as another’s. Only time will reveal the complete and true picture, perhaps giving us help in preventing another similarly insane act. At this time, prayer is more appropriate than talk. Let us pray for the injured and grieving people in Tucson.
Once again our nation is plunged into mourning, with flags flying at half staff. As Ken Gurley, a Pearland pastor, wrote, in his blog yesterday in the Houston Chronicle, “..when such atrocities happen it is better to wrap one’s self in sackcloth than to sit in the seat of the scornful.” Let us recall these words from Kipling’s “Recessional:”