Thinking of the terrified children and what they and their teachers must have gone through in the last moments of their earthly lives. The horrific scenes the first responders, survivors and their families saw that will forever be burned into their memories.
What could possibly be worse than innocent children being gunned down by a "wild animal"?! I just cannot seem to stop the tears.
Before I vent any further... These are MY opinions, MY beliefs and values, and this is MY blog. I do not write in hopes of contention, disagreement or drama. I am just expressing my concern and feelings at this time. If you do not agree, stop reading and move on...
People say that gun control is what we need, or change in the way guns are distributed and sold.
Maybe that is true. But honestly, if someone is desperate enough, no law or militia is going to be able to stop or prevent it.
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."
What we need is change in our hearts and change in our homes. The way to change the future is by changing the way we raise our kids and changing the influences of the world that we allow to be brought into our homes; and changing the way we treat others in general. Because our children DO grow up, and the "monsters" that dwell in this world, like those who have committed these heinous crimes; were in fact once a child themselves. They probably smiled, played hide and seek, laughed, and played T-ball, they probably had hopes and dreams of their own; just like any other child.
I do not mean to point fingers here. I myself am not a perfect person or parent. I have but 1 small child. But with the increasing violence and sexual impurities of the media and the ever increasing influence of Satan along with the diminishing of family values and the increase in broken homes. It is more important now as parents to teach our children righteous living. We must not rely on the world to teach our children. What is taught in the home and by the examples of parents is far more important. If you are LDS, and if you paid attention to what was taught in General Conference this past October, the majority of the teachings focused on teaching our children in the home.
To me this means cutting out the violent video games whether they are played by children OR parents. It doesn't matter, with them in the home it is allowing the influence of Satan in. It means cutting out movies that are inappropriate. The LDS Church leaders support the avoidance of "R" rated movies, but I believe this shouldn't be the limit. There are many movies, books, sitcoms, music, and reality TV shows given a "rating" would be the equivalent to or worse than an "R" rated film.
I feel that society as a whole is on the downward grade. We need to use our own judgement AND the spirit in our decision of whether something is wholesome or not. Because it is SO EASY for the adversary to get in through these avenues in our daily lives. Once we let our guard down a little or even just once. That is when the decomposition of our souls begins.
The commandments of our Heavenly Father are not negotiable!
Once again these are my opinions and my beliefs. I am merely venting as a way to find comfort in my heart for this terrible tragedy; I am simply reminding myself of my faith in God, my values and my morals, so that I may be a better influence for my family and for those around me. So that as my babies grow into adults they will have a fighting chance against the world.
“I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation.”
One of my greatness weaknesses as a human, is the power to forgive. I feel I am hard on others and at many times show little mercy or compassion. But forgiveness is the only way our hearts can truly heal and grow. It is not my job to judge and make sense of someone's actions.
I have seen and heard many comments in regards to Fridays tragedy that sounded like this, "How does God allow things like this to happen". To this I say, God gave man free agency to live and choose as he pleases. It is the agency of man that produces events such as this.
True love can alter human lives and change human nature.
You never really know what influences someone has in their lives. You never know what level of happiness someone feels in their life. And you never know what someones breaking point might be. The last straw in a series of awful events or daily mental torture could easily be that someone was not kind enough to ask how there day was, leaving them to feel like no one notices or cares.
"We need to be civil in our discourse and respectful in our interactions. We live in a world where there is much turmoil. Many people are both angry and afraid. The Savior taught us to love even our enemies (see Matthew 5:44). This is especially true when we disagree. The moral basis of civility is the Golden Rule. It is taught in most religions and particularly by the Savior. “And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise” (Luke 6:31). Our faith requires that we treat our neighbors with respect."
I hope and pray that as a society, as a country and as a world that we may find comfort in the Comforter. That we may strive to find peace in our hearts in times of turmoil. May the families of the victims and the family of the guilty find forgiveness and hope, and to live each day in honor of those precious children of God.
