A woman cries during a prayer service at St. John's Episcopal church near Sandy Hook Elementary School in Sandy Hook, Connecticut December 15, 2012. (REUTERS/Eric Thayer)
by Margaret Feinberg
Why, God, why? Why do you allow the horror of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School?
Why do you allow the loss, pain, terror, heartache and death? Why do you allow evil to triumph and innocence to be stripped away? Is this kind of evil stoppable? And do we have some role to play?
In the wake of so many unanswered questions, what kinds of questions do we really need to be asking? Are you cajoling us to ask how we can prevent this from happening again? Is the answer found in gun regulations, better security or deeper changes in our own hearts and lives?
Does preventing these kinds of crimes actually begin with us? If we had more compassion on those on the margins - those who wrestle with the demons of mental illness and social exile, who may be pondering violent acts at this very moment - can we prevent this horror from happening again?
Are you prompting us to search our own lives and hearts to identify who we need to recognize that we've overlooked? In our families? Neighborhoods? Schools? Workplaces? Communities? Retirement homes?
Who are the kids and adults being shoved to the sidelines of life on whom we need to extend compassion? Where have our arms been too short, our hearts too closed to embrace?
Is this a potent reminder that our call is to be more sensitive to those who feel unloved, marginalized, shunned from our society? Are you awakening us to the fact that we all play a role in these matters?
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SOURCE: CNN
Margaret Feinberg is a popular speaker and author of numerous books, including "Wonderstruck: Awaken to the Nearness of God," which releases on Christmas Day. Follow her on Twitter @mafeinberg.
