Please Pray

Please pray for our community. Earlier this week, a father tragically shot his son in self-defense. The young man died in their home. He was a junior at our local high school and the father is a police lieutenant in a neighboring community.  There is some evidence that the son was really struggling emotionally and mentally. I don't know the details, except to hear that the parents were very committed to helping him and loving him through this. The family is well-respected and loved and part of an active church family.  Since it happened, I've been very heavy-hearted and deeply sad in a way that I can only liken to the news-making school shootings that happened in Colorado so many years ago. I can't even imagine the pain and the grief that the parents and siblings and other family and friends are experiencing right now. And will be walking through in the days and months ahead.

While we didn't know the family directly, the ripple effects of this week's events are hitting the community hard. Our kids are not unscathed by it - one of the cousins of this young man is in one of my kid's class.  Another layer of innocence has been stripped from my child's heart and mind because of the relationship with this cousin. It breaks my heart. I know my child has the tools to deal with what has been shared and exposed, but it still feels oh, so young to have to have that conversation with them.

We've been lifting the family up in prayer for the last three days, and we know that only God can minister the things they need right now. I'm asking Him specifically to send people across their paths that can BE Jesus to them in healing and hopeful ways. Please pray with us for that.

Our kids are messy. Fallible. Flawed.  But so are we.  Put aside the messy and embrace your kids today. While you are hugging them, pray for that mom and dad who will never hug their son again.