Evil Never Makes Any Sense

I awoke Friday morning, and a feeling of excitement swelled in my soul. The thought of baking pumpkin bread, with the spicy aroma wafting through the house, made me feel warm and cozy. I pondered what I would buy my husband for Christmas.

After grabbing a cup of coffee, I sat in my office, pulled a blanket over my lap, and turned on the TV. What I saw on the news took my breath away.

Chaos filled the streets near Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut—swat teams, police dogs, parents running with their children—reports of a shooter—multiple children dead—some adults killed.

My jaw dropped.

Then tears filled my eyes.

Who would do such a thing?

None of this made any sense.

I thought about the presents that would be left unopened under the Christmas trees. The parents. The absence of their children's laughter—gone—all in a flash, leaving gaping holes in the hearts of these families.

 
Then I heard the shooter had taken his own life. Anger reared in my soul. There would be no jail time for this murderer, no trial, no justice for these kids, which meant no kind of vindication for their parents.

My heart broke as I thought about how scared the children must have been, the looks of horror on their faces when this man gunned them down.

Why, God. Why?

This didn't make any sense.

I thought of my niece's kids. The idea of something happening to them also took my breath away. Perhaps I should offer to homeschool them.

Then the newscaster said that an eight-year-old girl saw shattered glass, blood, and a police officer carrying out an injured little boy. What would this do to her young mind? Was her innocence now gone? Would she see these images for the rest of her life?

God, help them.

This didn't make any sense.

I wanted to tell the families how sorry I am. So, so sorry. But I couldn't. So I prayed. I think most of the country prayed today. It's the least we could do.

Then the president gave a moving news conference. Tears filled his eyes as he spoke about hugging his own daughters a little tighter tonight.  "Our hearts are broken today," he said. But like the rest of us, he, too, could not understand.

As the day wore on, the baking, scents of Christmas, and buying presents no longer mattered—my heart too heavy with grief for the families.  And I didn't even know them.

Again, none of this made any sense.

But I've come to find that evil never does.

It never has.

And it never will.

Regardless, love will prevail.

It always has.

And it always will.

May we all band together, keep praying for these families. In doing so, our love (and unity) will outshine this terrible darkness.

I pray that God comfort all who were touched by this terrible tragedy. No words can express how truly sorry I am for your loss.

Note: Today's post is part of the CW blog chain. The topic is "Christmas Scents/Sense". Please check out my sidebar, further down on the right, to see some great posts by other writers.