"Therefore do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. Now we know that if the earth tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands."
-Barrack Obama quoting 2 Corinthians 4:16-5:1
Recently there has been a shooting in Connecticut. This shocked people all over the U.S. and has dominated the headlines in the news for days. A man went into a school and shot 26 people, and then eventually himself. This was obviously very shocking news, especially because 20 of the people killed in the incident were elementary school students. Parents of these children were greatly hurt and will no longer get to see their children. It's wrong for a parent to have to attend the funeral of their child, it should be the other way around.
The shooting has brought up many different arguments, regarding gun control laws and whatnot, but that's not what I thought about after this incident. The first thing that came to my mind is what drove the man to do such a terrible act. The answer to the question may never be found, because the man took his own life. The next thing I thought about was how corrupt the world has become. Events like this are becoming more frequent, but I see something good in this event. People still know what is right and what is wrong. People care about the families that lost someone, and people want to do something to prevent this kind of thing happening again.
Lastly I though about a hypothetical situation. I am certain that if I went to one of the parents of the children who were killed, and I asked them if they would take the place of their child, they would all say yes. Most, if not all, parents would much rather die then have their children die. What allows a parent to say this honestly? Some might say a parent has lived a long enough life, and a child hasn't even lived very long. While this is true, I'm pretty sure that's not what is going through a person's head when they are asked this question. A parent is able to say this because they love their children. They would do anything for their well-being.
Sadly, even though a parent would be willing to die for their child, they can't. As much as they want to, they cannot change what has happened. This is truly unfortunate, but that's just how life is. However, I'm not going to end like that. I have good news. There is one parent who has given his life for all His children. This parent has the power to do so. This person is God. He gave His life in order that us, His children, could have life eternal. All we have to do is accept it. So I have a challenge for us all; let us fix our eyes on what is unseen.
-Smart
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