Making Sense of a Senseless World

There are a couple reasons people write. Some write to process the events in their life; some...to grieve over certain tragedies; and some...to encourage those around them. Today, I am writing for all three reasons. My heart breaks for my home of Oxford and Lake Orion, Michigan as we suffer through the tragedy of the school shooting at Oxford High School on Tuesday, November 30th.

Four families, so far, are grieving the loss of their children, the youngest being only 14 years-old. Seven other people are recovering from their injuries, while several thousand students, parents, and family members are still reeling from Tuesday's events. College students like myself--friends and siblings of students that were in the building--are attempting to process this situation from afar. A 15-year-old boy is sitting by himself in solitary confinement, rightly facing the full weight of the law, while his parents remotely attended his sentencing and arraignment. All around, hearts are broken as people are trying to make sense of this senseless act.

Oxford is not a big town. A suburban community, it barely has a Meijer, a couple of parks, and an ice cream shop here and there. Being from Lake Orion, half of my life has been spent riding the bikes up and down the Paint Creek trail in Oxford, spending time at my friends' and family's houses, or watching a movie at the theater, Oxford 7. For this reason, it does not make sense why the eyes of the nation would turn towards this little town as it becomes the newest talking point for gun laws and school reform. It does not make sense why this community would now be compared to Columbine, Parkland, and Sandy Hook. It does not make sense as to why a 15-year-old sophomore would open fire on his classmates.

But then again, sin and evil never make any sense. It did not make sense when Cain rose to slay Abel. It did not make sense that Joseph's brothers would become so angry that they threw him into a pit and sold him into slavery. It did not make sense when the house fell on Job's children. Ultimately, it did not make sense that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was crucified to a tree by the same people who, a week before, were praising Him. It did not make sense for me when my oldest brother took his own life. With our human eyes, we cannot make sense of this world around us. We cannot make sense of the sickness, suicides, or shootings that sin brings. At the end of the day, there are no words to explain the most heartbreaking of circumstances.

Sometimes, the only thing we can do is sit, pray, wait on the Lord, and remember. We make sense of this senseless world by remembering. We remember that the most horrible tragedy in human history occurred 2,000 years ago when humanity decided to nail their God to a tree. We remember that He rose from the grave, conquering death and the senselessness of sin. We remember that He became like us and was tempted in every way, yet He did not sin. We remember that death, though painful, is swallowed up in victory. We remember that we await the hope of a resurrection of our bodies. While our outward man is perishing, our inward man is being renewed day-by-day. We remember that our God still reigns and that our Savior is coming again, making everything right, and will judge both the living and the dead.

---

To my friends and family in Oxford and Lake Orion, I love you with all my heart. Keep up the good fight and look to our good and sovereign God. Hug those around you and tell them you love them. Sit and pray with those who are weeping, especially with the students and parents of Oxford High School. Talk to your neighbor about Jesus. We have so little time to do so. Pray that the Lord will teach us to number our days in order that we may gain wisdom. "Come Lord Jesus."

---

Photo by Scott Olson, Getty Images, ABC News