Tragedy struck today in a small town in Western Washington. It was heartbreaking and made me reflect a great deal and think about my reaction to things around me.
As I made my way into town for a homeschool meeting, sitting on a mound in front of a public school was an elderly man. I had seen this man before in the area and thought nothing of him really. As I drove by him though, something was different, he was glaring at each and every car that drove by. As we drove by he lifted his hands and pointed his fingers at us as if shooting a gun at us, silently moving his lips to mimic the sound of a gun as it is fired.
I was slightly disturbed and ask the Lord to help him but then moved on with my morning activities, not giving him another thought. I mean, he was just an elderly man who probably had too much to drink or was just in a grumpy fowl mood. He wasn't doing anything other than giving people dirty looks.
On my way home from my day's events I neared the school again, yet this time I was not allowed to pass. I asked the man and police officer that was standing there on the side of the road if there had been an accident. He replied that there was some old man running around with a gun shooting at people so the police had the area blocked off.
I was stunned and with my daughter in the back of the car I turned around to go the long way home and immediately began to pray. I was praying for the safety of all involved and that the man would be stopped without anyone being harmed. My mind was surely focused on this event and how close we came to being in harms way.
When I got home I decided to post about it on Facebook so that people would pray for the situation and quickly found out that the man had been killed because he had fired at the police and they had no choice but to fire back.
My heart was broken. It was broken for a man who had probably lived in his little house for that last 50 plus years with a wife and children. Children that grew up and might have no longer visited because life is just too busy and dad is just too grumpy. The thought of his death and what his family might be going through ate away at me and the thing that hurt most was that my spirit was convicted, deeply convicted.
How many times do we see or sense something is off and we move on without another thought, and if we do pray it is a quick cursory prayer that we did out duty. It was a quick prayer so we weren't really bothered by it and the time it was take to really pray over the situation? I was convicted. This man was hurting and lost. He was not in his right mind and I knew it and I had a bad feeling when I drove by him yet all I prayed for was that the Lord would help him. Did I really mean that prayer? Or did I say it out of that place inside that says, "I am supposed to pray!" Not because my heart was moved to share my worries with the Father.
It was a great lesson to me. It made me think of my everyday situations. Do I ask the Holy Spirit to help me to know WHAT to pray? Or do I just plow forth with no concern with what God wants? If I had taken that time the Spirit might have touched me and asked me to pray for something very specific and it might have been something that would have made a difference.
I am not saying I am responsible for this man's death. He died because of his choices and it is extremely sad. But I am responsible to do exactly what the Lord calls me to do, and I think that would include praying for the lost and hurting, praying for this man. The Lord LOVES HIM! The Lord was grieved by this event today.
What will you do next time you are given that check in your spirit that something isn't quite right? Ignore it, throw a vague prayer out there, or turn to the Father, ask the Spirit to guide you and thank the Savior for giving you the ability to always have access to them for all your needs.
As I made my way into town for a homeschool meeting, sitting on a mound in front of a public school was an elderly man. I had seen this man before in the area and thought nothing of him really. As I drove by him though, something was different, he was glaring at each and every car that drove by. As we drove by he lifted his hands and pointed his fingers at us as if shooting a gun at us, silently moving his lips to mimic the sound of a gun as it is fired.
I was slightly disturbed and ask the Lord to help him but then moved on with my morning activities, not giving him another thought. I mean, he was just an elderly man who probably had too much to drink or was just in a grumpy fowl mood. He wasn't doing anything other than giving people dirty looks.On my way home from my day's events I neared the school again, yet this time I was not allowed to pass. I asked the man and police officer that was standing there on the side of the road if there had been an accident. He replied that there was some old man running around with a gun shooting at people so the police had the area blocked off.
I was stunned and with my daughter in the back of the car I turned around to go the long way home and immediately began to pray. I was praying for the safety of all involved and that the man would be stopped without anyone being harmed. My mind was surely focused on this event and how close we came to being in harms way.
When I got home I decided to post about it on Facebook so that people would pray for the situation and quickly found out that the man had been killed because he had fired at the police and they had no choice but to fire back.
My heart was broken. It was broken for a man who had probably lived in his little house for that last 50 plus years with a wife and children. Children that grew up and might have no longer visited because life is just too busy and dad is just too grumpy. The thought of his death and what his family might be going through ate away at me and the thing that hurt most was that my spirit was convicted, deeply convicted.
How many times do we see or sense something is off and we move on without another thought, and if we do pray it is a quick cursory prayer that we did out duty. It was a quick prayer so we weren't really bothered by it and the time it was take to really pray over the situation? I was convicted. This man was hurting and lost. He was not in his right mind and I knew it and I had a bad feeling when I drove by him yet all I prayed for was that the Lord would help him. Did I really mean that prayer? Or did I say it out of that place inside that says, "I am supposed to pray!" Not because my heart was moved to share my worries with the Father.
It was a great lesson to me. It made me think of my everyday situations. Do I ask the Holy Spirit to help me to know WHAT to pray? Or do I just plow forth with no concern with what God wants? If I had taken that time the Spirit might have touched me and asked me to pray for something very specific and it might have been something that would have made a difference.
I am not saying I am responsible for this man's death. He died because of his choices and it is extremely sad. But I am responsible to do exactly what the Lord calls me to do, and I think that would include praying for the lost and hurting, praying for this man. The Lord LOVES HIM! The Lord was grieved by this event today.
What will you do next time you are given that check in your spirit that something isn't quite right? Ignore it, throw a vague prayer out there, or turn to the Father, ask the Spirit to guide you and thank the Savior for giving you the ability to always have access to them for all your needs.
4 comments:
Very moving and a great reminder of who God calls us to be and what He calls us to do! Thank you!
The above comment was supposed to be me, sorry love!
Wow you have an amazing talent for combining words into a meaningful and thought provoking blog. That is very convicting for me as well and a great reminder to not only pray but to request that the holy spirit guide us in praying for the right and meaningful things. Thank you!
Thanks Mark! I love you! You are a true inspiration to me.
Thank you also Michaela. Your words are very kind and I am grateful!
Blessings,
Carri
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