I’ll just say from the beginning, I’m tired. To step in time and time again into the news story of another mass shooting. Hearing the names of victims. Learning of another location that should be a safe place, has its innocence taken. Places like a school, a movie theater, a concert, a bar, a grocery store. Seeing interviews of heartbroken families who have fathers, mothers, sons, or daughters that won’t be coming home. I’m tired. In light of the tragedies that happened this weekend, however, there is something else I’m tired of: the phrase “My thoughts and prayers.”
Sunday morning, I stopped by a gas station to grab coffee on my way to church. While there I overheard the employees discussing one of the shootings. Out of curiosity, I asked, “Which one?” One of the employees in an exhausted sigh replied, “That’s exactly my point!” Then I explained how my question was referring to see if they were discussing the shooting in El Paso, or the one in Dayton. They didn’t know about the shooting in Dayton until I told them, but on my way out of the store I overheard, “They’ll post about sending thoughts and prayers about these things, but they won’t ever act on it.”
I’m tired of my faith being used as a political sound bite and then no action being taken. In less than a 24-hour timeframe, 29 people died in two separate mass shootings. Still the best response offered is the standard issue, “My thoughts and prayers go out to (fill in the national tragedy) and the families affected by the horrible act of evil.”
Which leaves me with this question: How much thinking and praying do you need to do about acts of evil until YOU decide to act?
Let me say immediately that I’m not advocating for one political party over another, because both have neglected opportunities to act. If it’s a Democrat that wants to initiate the national conversation, fine. If it’s a Republican that steps up to the plate to make the difference, fine. A friend who works within the political realm said, “Policy follows culture.” How long will we and, regarding those who claim faith in Jesus Christ, we as Christians allow people to be killed in national tragedies before we say enough is enough? How many funerals, how many breaking news bulletins, how many flags at half-staff until we’re sick of it? Because I’m tired.
Sociologist DeShanne Stokes said, “Talk without the support of action means nothing.” This is the reality in which we live. Tragedy strikes and we talk. We’ve gotten really good at it. We will break down at length how gunman obtained their weapons. We’ll expound in brutal detail how they implemented their plan. We’ll bring people with all forms of expertise to explain at length different possible solutions so “we never allow it to happen again.” Then- . . . nothing. We move on. Looking at the abyss too long eventually takes its toll, so we blink and look away. And when we blink those with the power and ability to make a necessary change are let off the hook. Sadly, once that happens, we reset the clock and whether we realize it or not we begin waiting for the next tragedy, the next shooting. And deep down in places, we don’t ever want to go to, we just hope it doesn’t happen in our city, in our movie theater, at our child’s school. I’ll be honest, I’ve thought that before, and I’m tired of that having to cross my mind.
Final Thoughts:
“Sloan that’s a dark place to end.” Yeah, it is, but I think sometimes we have to sit in the valley a little to feel the weight of it. We can’t just run out of the valley because it’s dark. Instead, we acknowledge the brokenness of the situation. In 2017, we saw family members of the victims of the 2015 Charleston Church shooting forgive the shooter. This past year a friend who lost family in one of America’s first school shootings made a post expressing compassion and grace in light of one of the shooters dying. We do PRAY for comfort for the families that have been affected both victim and aggressor. We do THINK about what happened and how it could be prevented from happening again. Then, we ACT. We hold leaders accountable to respond with more than words, but with actions. That the next time, “Thoughts and prayers” are the immediate response, make the follow-up question, for both leaders and ourselves: So what are WE going to do about it? Because talking without action is no longer an acceptable option.
Sloan Stephenson 