Tragedy in Washington How did Aaron Alexis go from being the polite waiter who served food at the Happy Bowl to the “shooter” in a horrific tragedy? How did the person I thought I knew, commit such an incredibly vicious attack yesterday leaving thirteen people dead, including himself? I don’t know. I don’t know why Aaron chose to do this. I don’t know how long Aaron had been planning this attack. Could this have been on his mind while he was taking my order or delivering my food? Could I have done something to intervene? Was Aaron suffering from PTSD? Did Aaron get involved with some sort of cult or terrorist group? Did someone hurt Aaron or given him a reason to be angry? One thing I do know is that I will never know the full answers to these questions because the answers to my questions died with the “shooter.” Chances are, you are asking yourself these same questions. As I continue to wrestle through my questions about the attack, I want to offer up some things for you to think about as well. First of all, it is impossible to find reason in the midst of an unreasonable event. What happened yesterday has no logical explanation. Regardless of what Aaron might say if he were still alive, the explanation would never justify the motives or match the actions. It is never reasonable or justifiable to open fire on innocent lives. In the midst of our confusion and hurt, we want to know what his reason was. Aaron had no justifiable reason. As the story continues to unfold and we discover more about his motives, we may find a reason for his anger, but there will never be reason for his actions. Rather than fixating on what we may never know or understand, I encourage you to focus on what you do know. We know that yesterday was tragic. We know that thirteen families are suffering the loss of someone they loved. We know that Aaron’s actions were evil and meant to harm people who were going about their daily routine with no idea that they were about to become his targets. In the midst of this harsh reality, we also know that God is near to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18), he heals those who are hurting (Psalm 147:3), he comforts those who mourn (Matthew 5:4) and we know that God cries with those who experience the death of a loved one as with Lazarus’ death. When Jesus saw her (Lazarus’s sister, Mary) weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” John 11:33-16 We also know God opposes evil and he sent his own son to die a tragic and innocent death in order to rescue us from evil, restore our identity, give us security beyond this life and hope in the midst of our current suffering. I think the greatest moment of clarity for me so far has come from the most unlikely source. Earlier in the afternoon yesterday, Hudson (my oldest son) caught a glimpse of Aaron’s picture on TV. Before I could turn the channel, he heard the reporter say that Aaron had killed twelve people and he was confirmed to be dead. Of course, Hudson immediate recognized Aaron and put the story together. I took a moment to explain to Hudson that Aaron had hurt some people and that I didn’t know why. I added that we will never see Aaron again and then we prayed for the families of the victims. About 4 hours later while I was sitting with my family at the dinner table, Hudson spoke up. He said, “Daddy, I know why Aaron hurt those people this morning.” At first I tried to divert the conversation in order to avoid talking about the tragedy with a 6 year old. After persisting that he knew the reason, I finally gave him permission to share his thoughts. To my surprise, he offered up the only logical explanation for the tragedy yesterday. He said, “Daddy, Aaron hurt those people because his heart was dirty.” After a few seconds of grasping for something to say, I responded, “Hudson, you are absolutely right. His heart was dirty.” And then I added, “Aren’t you glad that Jesus can clean the dirt out of our hearts?” I am thankful that Jesus cleans hearts, especially mine. While I don’t understand this situation, I do believe that God is good and trustworthy and our ultimate source of comfort. Please join me in praying for the families of the victims, for Aaron’s family and for the Happy Bowl family. By his grace and for his glory, Pastor Jason Williams "Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God." Romans 5:2 Please feel free to contact anyone from our staff or elders if you need to discuss the situation or ask questions regarding this email: Jason Williams: [email protected] Brian Lamb: [email protected] Cameron Glass: [email protected] Jason Lewis: [email protected] Billy Warren: [email protected] Ken Forsythe: [email protected] Larry Roberts: [email protected]
Posted on: Tue, 17 Sep 2013 18:19:56 +0000