Finding the Light

I used to check the news everyday. Then I began wondering why it was called ‘news’ when just about everything in it was ‘bad news.’ Reading about, or watching all of the bad in the world was becoming highly upsetting to me so eventually I stopped checking the news. But the thing is, the evils of the world are still out there whether I know about them happening or not. And some of the worst evils are inescapable.

Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma, everything going on in North Korea, the Manchester bombing at Ariana Grande’s concert, and the Las Vegas shooting are a few horror stories of such magnitude that hearing about them is unavoidable. The other stories that are impossible to avoid are the ones that hit close to home, the ones that hit just a few blocks from home.

On Thursday morning I woke up to a series of texts and emails from the CSU PD. There was a shooting right outside of campus, within walking distance from the school. As the day went on, details about what happened began to emerge. One girl was injured but will recover, three people, including the shooter, are dead. Among the victims was an art student at CSU. She was supposed to graduate this December. I didn’t know her, and I don’t believe any of my friends on campus did either. But the atmosphere on campus this past Thursday and Friday was not a joyful one. And me not knowing her or anyone directly impacted by this shooting doesn’t make what happened any less tragic.

When these horrific things happen, it can be challenging to see God. But He is there, He always is. He’s with the first responders. He’s there when people tell the stories about what and who they’ve lost, and is forever entangled in the memories people have of those who have been lost. He is the light in the dark. It is truly fascinating how noticeable a bit of light can be, even when darkness surrounds it. In fact, the darkness is what makes the light stand out.

In a campus-wide email that CSU President Tony Frank sent out he talks about light.

“Each of you is a unique light with the badly needed potential to brighten our world’s dark places – both large and small.”

That special light inside of all of us is God. It may shine in some us differently than it does in others, but they all originate from the same source. God can use us to aid in a tragedy – no matter the size. The question is, will you let Him?

To those who have been affected, whether it was this shooting in Fort Collins, or another event, your pain does not go unnoticed. Your grievances, and your sense of loss are all valid. I hope that somewhere in all of this darkness, that God is using someone to act as a light for you.

If you’re intrigued by this post and looking forward to what I’ll write about in the future, you can expect a new post every Saturday. Also, if you feel inclined, feel free to leave a comment below about what you think. Thanks for all your support and I hope you’ll come back next week. Stay Amazing!