Last week was tough.  Hard.  Bad.  Boston, MA and West, TX were the highlights of a week of bad news, death, tragedy and pain.  The question “why?” keeps coming to the forefront of my mind.  I know I will not get an answer anytime soon and don’t need one.

As I write this, I’m listening to Fox News and their reporters certainly want to get to the bottom of the how, why and who of the two men suspected of setting the bombs off in Boston.  (Note: I am not a Fox News fan.)  Supposedly they are Russian.  Maybe they are Muslim.  Whatever they are or were, they both had hearts turned against a loving God and likely had wounds that drove them to do such disastrous things.

As I think on this the thought of how bad so many hate “radical Muslims”, call them terrorists and think they deserve the harshest response they get.  It leads to so many questions for me.  How do those people respond to “radical Christians” and the tyranny they bring to killing and hating those they oppose?  Why are people who come into the country and kill Americans with bombs terrorists but crazy folks who walk into a theater or school with a gun not terrorists?

Our society is bad about putting layers or priorities to the bad things that happen in our world and happen to us.  So is the church.

I look forward to the day I treat everyone as a child of God, scarred by the world, sinful and broken.  In these times, I pray I treat them equally and love them equally.  I am not saying discipline is not a response, only that I want to be careful to treat those who hurt me with the same measure God would require.

“Do to others as you would have them do to you” applies in the good times and the bad times.  It’s not always easy though.

Grace and peace.