Brokenhearted

When I was growing up, my parents were avid news-watchers. While Mommy made breakfast and we got ready for our day, one news program or another was running in the background. The same was true as she made dinner in the evening. Since becoming an adult, I have tried several times to add regular news watching to my routine. I quickly fall away from a regular morning or evening newscast because it seems like nothing but bad news. Needless to say, I tend to catch big headlines a little late.

This was true back in June when the Orlando shooting occurred. The first I heard of it was as we prayed for the victims and their families at church. And it broke my heart. One of my first thoughts was that all those souls, if they had not repented of their sin and trusted in Christ for salvation, were now lost for eternity. Following swiftly on this thought was the horrifying knowledge that there are people who claim the name of Christ who would rejoice over this tragedy.

Fast forward a few weeks, and we have the news of the deaths of two black men at the hands of police, and the shooting of the police officers in Dallas. And my heart is broken again. There are at the very least eight families grieving the loss of a loved one from these events. These were people made in the image of God to reflect His glory, and now they are gone. And in the wake of these tragedies there is hatred spewing from many sides.

Now I am a youngish white girl from Texas, and I don't presume to understand the ins and outs of any of these events. But I will say this, if you claim the name of Christ, there is no place for hatred in your speech, thoughts, or actions towards your fellow image bearers! I don't care how that other person is different from you. You are not the standard. Jesus Christ is. And His standard is love.


The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit. 
Psalm 34:18
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The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor;he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives,and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
Isaiah 61:1

The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses. 
Proverbs 10:11-12

Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes. 
1 John 2:9-11

If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. 
1 John 4:20-21