A Time to Be Silent

Photo courtesy Erik Thorson copyright 2012

  Ecclesiastes 3

 There is an appointed time for everything. 

And there is a time for every event under heaven-

A time to weep and a time to laugh;

It's ten o'clock at night. All my chores are done for the day, I've just left a writer's group meeting, and I'm enjoying some last-minute Christmas shopping. The store lights are dazzling; Christmas fills my senses as I stroll down the aisles. The holiday stress melts away, and I'm swallowed up in the sights and sounds of the holiday. Joy surges and threatens to overflow.

A time to mourn and a time to dance;

My shopping is finished for now. My favorite Christian CD blares in the Jeep as I head out on the long drive toward home. I'm caught up in its anointed message of hope and do a little head banging as an external release to the dance my spirit is doing. 

The city streets are quiet. The darkness deepens as I leave the streetlights behind. As I pass the city park, the ghostly outline of a flag at half-mast brings me back to the awful reality of the last week. 

Innocence killed. Courage revealed. A nation broken.

Again I weep.

A time to be silent and a time to speak

We are a nation living on raw emotion. Fear and grief have gripped America. Little children and people who were just doing their jobs have been brutally murdered. Their families are living through a hell that no one should have to endure.

This is the time to let them grieve in peace. Let's resist the urge to editorialize and jump into the fray with our opinions. This is not the time to seek to advance our own agendas at the expense of the suffering. No one is interested in why we think this happened or what we should do to solve it.

When our son nearly died from a devastating spinal cord injury, our lives were shattered. We experienced every emotion imaginable; we asked God a myriad questions. Especially, we asked "Why?" 

Most people were unbelievably kind and supportive to us. But there were a few that took it upon themselves to "instruct" us as to why this could have happened. They felt compelled to "fix" us. Their actions and words caused us much pain at a time we were very vulnerable. We were so heartbroken, what we needed were strong arms around us to hold us up and a shoulder upon which to weep.

Answers would come much later.

The tragedy in Connecticut has gained a worldwide audience. The temptation to use it to bolster or defend our worldviews is strong. But I urge you to hold your peace. Save the political and philosophical debates for another day, and let your words simply be those of comfort. A hurting town needs our love and compassion. 

Period.

Answers and perspective will come later.

He has made everything appropriate in its time. 

Below is a link to a blogpost that I found especially appropriate for this time. Just click on the link
 http://www.virtuouswomanexposed.com