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a special message for youth
Psalm 30:5 Isaiah 54:10 Matthew 5:4 Revelation 21:4 “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." |
Comfort and Hope. Peace and Solace. Or maybe we should say: suffering and torment. Agony and pain. Desolation and Despair.
The statements in the preceding paragraph are indeed what a campus, city, and nation are feeling. It is an expectation for these statements to be uttered after the tragedy that has happened on the campus of Virginia Tech. Some chalk it up to “the grieving process,” and that is true indeed. But, nevertheless, it is human nature. It is deep within us to feel these pangs and to want to do something about them. It is our reaction to want revenge and to get angry, to mourn and weep, to want comfort and hope.
Many of us may have friends at Virginia Tech. Some of our own college students may be at Virginia Tech and we wish them healing and God’s peace and presence during this time. Others reading this may have co-workers or even their own family members affected by the events of Monday, April 16, 2007. We grieve and support them as well.
The passages above are often read during these periods of sadness to inspire hope and provide comfort. In times such as this, we yearn for the loving God that we know to embrace us with his unconditional love and to tell us it will be alright. And truly, it will. We are taught that the old world and the old way of things WILL pass away in due time, and everything will be A-okay.
Friends, we live in a world where tragedy like this is becoming more and more “ordinary”. As scary as that may be or sound, it is common to hear about death in other countries as a result of war. We hear about our own soldiers being kidnapped or killed. Airline hijackings, murdering families and children, nuclear threats; all of these are what flood our TV screens and our newspapers. But when it hits close to home, we often don’t know how to respond. In these “troubled times,” let us remember the acronym NAO. Never Accept Ordinary. Our call as Christians to follow Jesus, God, and Biblical teachings does not always fit in with accepting the world as it is. With God and his family, things are never ordinary. Jesus was not ordinary, and while that is a “DUH” statement, think about it. In his time, he was radical, unorthodox, and it was feared by the government and religious officials that he would do exactly what happened at Virginia Tech. Maybe he was going to overthrow the Roman Government. Maybe his followers would start lynching mobs. He cast out demons, but only God can do that. He had the power to heal, why don’t I? Face it, Jesus was a visionary, and back then, they just weren’t normal.
Our lives don’t have to be normal or ordinary. NAO. Be in prayer, study the Scriptures, come to worship, and participate in our Youtheran activities. Don’t let the world get you. Don’t conform to the ordinary, change it! Are you willing to? Can you defy the ordinary and stand up and say: “I will, and I ask God to help and guide me?”
In this time of mourning, tragedy, and sadness, we wish that you find peace, hope, and comfort in the Gospel. Blessings to you, your family, and friends. As we lift our prayers of support for our the Hokie’s, may we be encouraged to Never Accept Ordinary and to remember that there will be rejoicing tomorrow. Thanks be to God!
Blessings to you,
Your Youth Advisors