Saturday, January 15, 2011

A Plea to See

We live in a celebrity driven news world
I don’t know what it is about celebrities, but sometimes we pay so much attention to them that we look at nothing else.  If you don’t believe me, go to your local supermarket, get in the checkout line, and try to find me a magazine that isn’t celebrity related or that doesn’t have a celebrity on it.  Harder than it sounds, isn’t it?
This obsession with celebrity that we have has taken on new dimensions this last week with the tragedy in Tucson.  While I don’t wish to take anything away from Rep. Gifford's miraculous recovery, I am deeply pained that we are paying very little attention to the 19 other victims.  
In fact, I did a little research into shooting sprees from 2010 and found something interesting.  There were quite a few shooting sprees last year, some with death tolls much higher than last week’s spree in Tucson.  Unfortunately, they were never news for more than a day or two.  We rarely ever knew the names of the victims, nor were the national news networks covering them like they have the Tucson shootings.  
See every victim the same
Like I said, I don’t want to take anything away from Rep. Giffords and her amazing recovery;  On the contrary, I thank God for it.  What I do want to do, however, is remind everyone that every person who was killed in last week’s shootings; in every shooting, had a family which is now devastated.  They had friends who are mourning them.  They had a life and a purpose which was cut short by a madman. 
 Don’t play favorites.  Love and serve everyone.  Please, please, please remember every victim of the Tucson shootings.  All 20 of them directly, and every family member and friend whose life has been turned upside down by this tragic event.  And the next time you hear of another one of these tragic shootings, please don’t dismiss it or let the news stations determine your focus.  
Pray for peace.  Pray for Justice.  Pray for Christ to return and redeem this world unto Him.
Training Tomorrow’s Leaders Today,
Matt

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