The Far Reaching Impact of the Las Vegas Shooting – and Every Other Tragedy

Last updated on: October 4, 2017 at 5:13 pm by Dr. Laurel Shaler

The Far Reaching Impact of the Las Vegas Shooting – and Every Other Tragedy 2017-10-04T17:13:16-04:00 Dr. Laurel Shaler

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The phone continued to buzz as my sleepy husband fumbled in the dark to answer the call. A late night call from one of his employees left us awake for what seemed like an eternity. As I was finally drifting back off to sleep, the background noise from the TV barely caught my attention. A gunman at a Las Vegas hotel, I thought I heard. I said a prayer, hoping it was nothing, and fell asleep. But numerous times throughout the night, I awakened. The TV had long since turned off, but I was questioning whether I had heard the report right. I was concerned – and prayed each time I awakened. As soon as I got to my computer this morning, I quickly discovered I had heard right. But it was worse than I ever imagined. A gunman opened fire on concert goers, killing 59 and injuring over 500. I wept. I prayed. I wept some more.

(Photo credit: John Locher)

Then I started hearing from folks I know. A student’s friend was okay, but had sustained a gunshot wound to the leg. A colleague’s Pastor had lost two friends in the attack. As I started to learn about the far reaching impact of this tragedy that seemed to happen so far from my South Carolina home, my mind drifted back…

~A friend present at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999.

~Another friend in New York City the day of 9/11.

~Countless friends slammed by hurricanes.

~Friends that lost loved ones in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

Mass shootings. Natural disasters. Terrorist attacks. War.

These are not just distant events that we can easily remove ourselves from and forget about. The pain – immeasurable pain – advances. It’s not just those that are present in those horrifically destructive moments, but everyone they know. And everyone they know. It spreads out to all humanity. It breaks out hearts, and sometimes, it almost breaks us completely.

My human heart can’t take much more. But, thank God, it is not our burden to carry alone. By the power of the Holy Spirit, I can go on. You can go on. We can go on. Together. We can – and should – lament. God knows our pain, and He wants us to turn to Him. He wants to comfort us as only He Can. He longs to grant us peace that surpasses all earthly understanding.

To help me get through this, God gave me a song. Throughout the day, the lyrics ran through my mind as if the song was on repeat in my brain. Just Give Me Jesus. It brings me great solace, and I pray the same for you. As you watch and listen to the song below, please join me in prayer for the many who have been impacted by yet another tragic event. That’s all of us, friends. That’s all of us.

Previous Post

October 2, 2017

Why Worry Is a Problem and What We Can Do About It

Next Post

October 5, 2017 The Real Reason You Need to Forgive

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month December 2019 November 2019 September 2019 May 2019 April 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who preached the first Christian sermon on Pentecost in Acts?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Peter Philip James Paul