Sunday, December 16, 2012

Please Have Mercy

Early Friday afternoon he emailed one stark line ... there's been a shooting at a school near Danbury.  It's always been a rather serendipitous town for us, a cool shopping destination and a central place to meet dear friends for a long awaited dinner.  The peaceful ordinary-ness of laundry tending and wrapping Christmas gifts and writing about what to do when one encounters drastically altered holidays bleeds into watching an abomination unfold that no child, family, town, or people should ever have to endure.
 
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, please have mercy ...

The story unfurls in all its ugly horror, hour after hour.  I am transfixed, my peace-filled labors at home fade to gray.  I view it all through the eyes of a grandma of six little ones who attend school ... and as a counselor who's been trained to lead people through the seemingly unending dark valley of critical incident stress. 

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, please have mercy ...

In time, I go into default mode.  I brown meat and chop mounds of crisp vegetables for a pot of soup.  We still have to eat.  I carefully measure flour and baking powder and salt and sugar.  I stir them together with milk and add shortening and knead, knead, knead.  Roll with the old wooden rolling pin with the faded green handles.  Cut out big fluffy rounds to bake.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, please have mercy ...

Sooner or later, I do what I tell everyone else to do.  Turn off the TV.  Because it's all too much.  And I roll up my sleeves and begin to dust off some words for all who love children.  And all the while, I am praying with those of like mind and united heart. 

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, please have mercy ...

A sweet friend writes, tearfully sharing her connection with some of the families.  I post a song that calls forth trust and anguish and praise in the same breath.  We begin to learn the lovely personal stories of the precious victims and wonder that the dailyness of their lives is so akin to what we experience ourselves.  And in response to the vicious reality that has become intertwined with this season of nativity, our own bruised hearts split wide open and tears of sorrow spill out, blending with tears from hearts united, east to west, a pool that flows into a river that reaches the mercy seat of the all powerful loving God.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, please have mercy ...

Jesus, oh-so-sweet man of sorrows, acquainted with grief, once again weeps tears of deepest pain and sorrow with all the wounded souls.

 
= picture courtesy of piratetuba

8 comments:

  1. These are words that minister, Linda. I followed your links, and am grateful for your wise ministry here.

    "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner."

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  2. Oh, Linda. My heart just was filled with grief for your part of the country. That you are there to be a blessing and a prayerful person with so much need, you are greatly appreciated by people like me who simply can't be there and would like to be... just to touch hands, to hug, to bless hearts. [When I saw the family pictures of the dead children on the news this evening a little while ago, I nearly burst into tears. When I think of my grandkids at that age not too many years ago ... and one that still is ... it invades my heart with sorrow.

    Bless you and yours. And THANK YOU and yours.

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  3. Dear online friends, you bless me with your loving, supportive words. We all join hearts together in prayer, don't we ...

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  4. Beautifully written post, Linda. Joining in prayer.

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  5. From coast to coast, we all link hearts in prayer for these families who have lost so much ...

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  6. This reminds me of one of my favorite verses, Linda - "...May your mercy come quickly to meet us for we are in desperate need." Ps. 79:8b (NIV)

    We surely are in desperate need. I'm sorry that this hits so close to home for you. But even though it's miles from my community, it hits close to home here too. Praying for healing and God's presence to be felt there--everywhere.

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  7. Oh yes, Beth, this is hitting close to home, no matter where that might be. Thank you for sharing this precious verse this evening.

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Welcome to the table, friend!

This is where we gather and hang out. I'd love for you to pull up a chair and jump right into the conversation. Or simply say 'hello.'

l'll be dropping in to visit you sometime soon ...

Linda

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