VT Thoughts

I've not made any comments this week about the tragedy that Virginia Tech (and our country) has had to deal with this week. In the last couple of days, we have seen video that give some idea about the mind of the shooter. We have seen a groundswell of support for the members of the VT community. We have seen tributes and memorials. Something that brought me to tears this morning was the marching band of VT performing at the hospital where many of the victims are still recovering. Seeing the band playing and the faces of the victims in the window, smiling and getting to forget for a few moments.

I've heard many news commentaries about the psyche of the shooter. All of them have commented on how he was a loner - how he did not talk, and how people tried and gave up communicating with him. How he probably had severe mental issues. I grew up with some self-esteem issues (anyone that knows me well knows that I still project these issues). I didn't have a lot of friends. I looked down when walking and was quiet in unfamiliar environments. I am a product of a wonderful and loving family. I had more friends than I knew. And I worked my way through many of my issues to become a productive member of society. I also had a strong group of Believers in Christ that supported and built me up and prayed when I didn't know they were praying. I had God on my side.

One of my friends commented this week that all Cho needed was for someone to share Jesus with him. I respect his thoughts, but I have to respectfully disagree with him. We don't know what his background was. We don't know how many people "shared Christ" with him. What we know is that people gave up on him. They looked at him, tried to talk to him, gave up, and began to talk about him when he wasn't around. It does not matter how many people told Cho about Christ. When it comes down to it, there were not people SHOWING him Christ.

Christ never gave up on me. He never gave up on you. When I was wallowing in the pit of despair (figuratively), Jesus was with me. When I had given up on myself, Jesus picked me up and dusted me off, and said "go on with me." He did this not just in a spiritual sense, but in a very real, very physical sense. Christ touched me - was SHOWN to me - by the people in my life who did not give up on me. I'm not saying that if all of these people in Cho's life had continued to reach out that this tragedy wouldn't have happened. But I think it's possible that the people around Cho did let him down in the opportunity to reach out and touch his life because they gave up on him.

There are others like Cho. Others that seem to be mean or odd or scary or alone. Ones that have been approached and discarded. As Christians, how do we respond to them? Do we "share" Christ with them, punch them off on our Witness Card, and forget about them? Or do we SHOW Christ to them, refusing to give up? (the following is a sentence that I thought I'd never actually write - because I would never wear the bracelet) What Would Je...ah, you know the rest. Let's try another one. Whatchagonnadowithwhatchagot?

Blessings.