Yesterday morning, our pastor taught about “Loving Your Neighbor”. He interrupted our scheduled teaching in the book of Mark to bring us a message God pressed on his heart. He talked about the Greatest Commandments and The Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37. (Sermon link.) It was a timely and inspiring message, especially in light of the heartache and strife this country has been through lately. Yet Pastor Rich hadn’t known only a few short hours later our country would face another great tragedy.

Like many of my fellow night-owls, I was scrolling through Facebook when I heard the breaking news about an active shooter in Las Vegas. I searched through my friends list looking for my aunt and cousins to check on them only to find out my cousin and aunt were at the concert. My heart pounded.

My cousin checked in under lockdown to say they were safe. Relief washed over me. The image my cousin described—her dragging my aunt as the shots came closer, promising her they were going to be okay, and urging her to keep running—will stay in my mind always. I want to cry thinking of it. I spent the night worrying, messaging my cousins, listening to their local police scanner, and praying my heart out. I cannot imagine what a terrifying experience they went through—what all the victims went through. Last night, a friend of ours lost her uncle. All over the country, families are mourning loved ones. Tonight my family down in Nevada had dinner together and comforted each other. We are so thankful, but it’s bittersweet and hard to comprehend this senseless heartbreak.

This world is rapidly breaking down. It is easy to become numb to the shock of it all—to become apathetic. In Matthew 24, Jesus described all of the crazy end-times happenings we are experiencing as “the beginning of birth pangs”. Life these days feels like labor in transition, the contractions so intense, coming right on top of each other so quickly one barely has time to breathe.

The pain is too sharp. It can be hard to cope.

Many of us want to lose ourselves in an escape, a distraction, so we don’t have to face the reality of the world we are living in.

In Matthew 24, Jesus comforted, “See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” But maybe knowing God is in control isn’t comforting to you at all right now because you have too many questions about why a God of love would allow so much suffering in this world.

I don’t have all the answers, but I am confident in this: God is LOVE, God is GOOD, and God is LIGHT—and in Him there is no darkness at all. Sin entered this world through no fault of His own. He gave man free will and we blew it like imperfect humans do. Because of His great love for us, God sent His perfect Son to die for our sins to rescue us from ourselves. He did not send His Son into this world to condemn the world, but that through Him all might be saved who believe in His name. He weeps with those who weep. He promises He is close to the brokenhearted and to those crushed in spirit. He is with you. Trust Him. Let Him hold you.

He loves you. He loves us. And we love because He first loved us.

In Matthew 24 Jesus warned, “And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another…and because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.”

Like you probably did, I spent the day in shock. I wanted to cry but didn’t have a moment to grieve. Then on the drive home, my 13-year-old son asked if he could donate blood.

My heart tore open and the tears finally broke through.

Pray. Donate. Give. Don’t pass by. Help your neighbor. Please. Don’t let your love grow cold.

May God bless you, watch over you, and comfort you.