Dear Christians, We can do better

With the recent school shooting I have not been surprised to see a vast array of pro gun posts sprinkled throughout my Facebook feed. With each new shooting it instantaneously becomes a politicized event for the left to argue yet again for gun control. The right HATES it with a passion. However, I am not here to talk about left and right politics… I’ll leave that for another day. I’m here to talk about the Church.

The Church is the Body of Christ here on Earth. We are called to be the salt and the light and I think most importantly we are called to love people. I’ll be the first to admit it is crazy hard to love broken people. Especially because as humans I think we expect whoever we love on to shower us with accolades. Even if we won’t admit it a part of us wants that recognition of what we’ve done.  As Christians our number one job is to love the broken-hearted, Jesus didn’t come to validate the Pharisees he came for the social outcasts. In Mark chapter 2 Jesus says “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but the sinners.” Don’t get me wrong it is absolutely essential to lift up our brothers and sisters in Christ who have already found God and are currently cultivating a relationship with him, but it is of much greater importance to seek out those who are still living in the World’s darkness and introduce them to the greatest love of all.

Here we are, another school shooting has just occurred in our Country, young teens are left terrified as they watched their fellow friends and classmates get mercilessly murdered right in front of them. This day will forever be ingrained in their hearts. In an attempt to stop other students from experiencing what they have they do the only thing they can think to do. Speak out and fight for gun laws. What other options do they have? Remain quiet and let it continually happen again with no change? Their souls have been awakened to the darkness and they refuse to live in it.

What have we as the body of Christ done? We go on Facebook and Instagram and mock them and their efforts to make a change. These are children that we are taking time out of our day to ridicule. Fourteen, fifteen, and sixteen year olds watch as parents, teachers, and past mentors rip apart their efforts and laugh at their fear. Most shared on my feed was a text post that read, “Are we supposed to take legislative advice from the same kids that we had to tell to not eat tide pods?” This is their impression of Christianity. I just want to ask you as a fellow Christian. Is this the legacy you want to leave for the World to see?

These kids were faced with the World’s darkness. We have been given the opportunity to minister to these kids. THEY DON’T HAVE TO SETTLE FOR THE THINGS OF THIS WORLD! Unfortunately, we didn’t take that opportunity, but I don’t think it’s too late. You can make a change by being a missionary in your own community and serving the broken. This isn’t about guns this is about our hearts. I’m going to leave you with one of my favorite scriptures and I think it really applies to what I’m trying to get across. John 21:17 “The third time He said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.”