Nova Scotia, I love you

Today, we take pause to remember, reflect, mourn and question the recent events in our beautiful home province of Nova Scotia. Some of us have been away a very long time, but home is never far from our hearts. We grew together, loved together, and moved on in life together. Together, we are strong. But now, some of those we loved are no longer together with us and we are left behind to make sense of this senseless and unfathomable tragedy. What goes on in the heart and mind of a man to make him partake in such acts of violence? We want….no we DEMAND answers to help us make sense and navigate through the horrors of what can only be described as pure evil. As a Christian, I can offer to share what has helped me and my family make sense of troubling times. None nearly as horrific as having a friend or family member ripped out of our grasp by the hands of another human being, I will not ever pretend to understand what could be going on in everyone’s minds right now. I do feel the pain with you as a Truro born and raised Nova Scotian because when you are raised there, you have a deep sense of family and friendship. One unlike I have yet to find in any other place I have lived in. So while I don’t completely understand it all, I grieve with you today and in the days to come.

It is easy to look immediately for someone to blame when we lose someone we love. In this case, we have a man who I will not even utter a name of who has done unspeakable horrors. But, he was taken before he had a chance to either explain himself or pay for what he has done. And so we are left still searching for answers. And, like it or not, we often look to God for answers in times like this. Either to yell at Him with waving fists as to why He would allow this to happen or to cry out to Him begging Him to help us understand. Some people choose to not acknowledge Him at all. I do hope to address all three as lovingly and scripturally as I can for anyone who choses to listen. If you don’t, I can understand that but please. Consider indulging me this one time. I am not one to shove Christianity down anyone’s throat but I did mention earlier that I want to share what has helped me and my family survive hardships. And that, dear ones, is a saving faith in Jesus Christ.

I think the most commonly asked question in times like this is a two fold one. “Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people and if He is so loving why does He allow such evil things to happen.” Addressing the first part of the question is a bit more intricate and poses more of a theological answer that may be hard from some people to grasp, so I would invite anyone who actually would like a Christian-based answer to that to email me at cynner_g@hotmail.com Not that I would have a hard time to give an answer, but to address that question is something that most people are not comfortable with as it will bring to question our own hearts and desires. And until someone is ready to understand that maybe as a person we are not as good of a person as we would like to be or think we are, any answer given will be seen as unloving. But, the question will be inevitably be asked so please feel free to contact me and I would be happy to help guide you through it.

The second part of the question is a bit easier, although lengthy, to answer in a way that may not come across as incomprehensible.

We can read scripture and think yeah okay lady. But I am broken, on the ground and I still don’t feel anything from God. But we have to understand a basic concept: People who don’t actually seek after God can not expect for Him to grant new mercies and protect us from evil; or even His own wrath.

If we want to receive a gift, we of course must look to the giver. If we turn away from the giver, swear at Him, call Him names and are disobedient to Him constantly, is it fair to ask why He isnt doing what we ask when we ask and give us what we want when we want it?

Indulge me in a scenario here. Have we ever asked a parent or a loved one for something and have them say, “Well I would like to, but I just don’t think that is good for you. I love you too much to let you do that or have that.” Of course we have. We have done it to our kids and grandkids, nieces and nephews, co-workers. You get the point. At that juncture in time, we, in our infinite wisdom (or lack thereof) decide to seek after it ourselves because we are mad that we didn’t get it. (Come on now, you know it’s true…...if not now I remember being a teenager.) Then we get the gift or whatever it is we want, and it indeed wasn’t as good for us as we thought. Do we then go back to the giver of the gift and blame them that we got into trouble by seeking after the thing we were told may not be best for us?

It begs the question at times like this; Are we willing to accept that God is ultimately in control over our lives when evil things happen? We have to honestly assess whether or not we believe that God even exists. If we don’t believe He exists, then how can we blame Him or whoever believes in Him for anything at all, good or bad? We can look to the Bible (and the God of it), or we can look to whatever god we have created or one that has been created to suit our personal desires. Whomever or whatever we chose will undoubtedly shape our viewpoints when disaster strikes, as well as rule and dictate how we react towards it. As a Christian, I can tell you without any doubt that everything; good, bad or indifferent; points to Jesus. As a Christian, I and those like me believe that Jesus was the only innocent man. Ever. We can chose to hold ourselves to our own set (or man made, if you so choose) of moral standards or we can chose to hold ourselves accountable to the standards of the bible. And as Christians we understand that we can’t even keep one of the commandments, let alone all ten.

So I think we have discovered that the answer to such questions as I stated in the beginning are not as simply answered as we would like them to be. Even the simple question of a child like “Mommy,why is the sky blue?” isn’t answered simply by “because”. Although admittedly, I have. There are scientific reasons and those reasons have to be rationalized against whether or not we chose to believe in God as our creator or if we chose to believe in something else. There is no way around it. You either believe or you don’t.

So where, oh where, is the comfort in all of this that “you Christians” have to offer? And why does God allow evil? We offer it from God’s word. We believe everything from the viewpoint that there is indeed power and life in Scripture. We have surrendered to it in times such as this in the face of pure evil. We have drawn comfort from knowing that when we chose to follow Him truly…….truly follow Him not just acknowledge He may exist when things go well, then His word gives us refreshment, guidance and peace to our troubled souls. We can’t expect anyone who doesn’t follow Him to understand, nor can those who don’t follow Him expect to gain any words of comfort from us. So how can we, when we can’t even decide whether or not we think He exists, ask why He allows evil? Therefore it makes no sense to be angry at Him (or us) when we cant give you something you aren’t truly seeking. In times like this our flesh demands justice and answers. Christianity offers a simple answer. God. God allows things to happen because we have turned our backs to Him. We have removed Him from our schools. We rally against Him when we feel like our sinful desires are more important that following Him. We do the very things He has asked us not to do then wonder why He is angry. And then, when disaster strikes, we ask Him why He is so cruel to allow things to happen. Do you see why asking these questions can’t work if we don’t follow Him or even acknowledge His existence?

I am not at all trying to be unloving in any way. If I could wrap my arms around each and every lost and hurting soul and whisper words of comfort to them as they weep, I would. God longs to do that too, but if we only look to Him and call out to Him when we hurt or we think He needs to do something for us how can we expect anything at all? As a believer, I can tell you though it is times like this that more and more people DO search for Him in their quest for finding out why. And that, my dear ones, is where wisdom begins.

For far too long the global church has portrayed Jesus as some hippie dude that travels around with flowers in His hair and holding the peace sign to everyone saying yeah sure dude, come on in. I love you, man! A portion of that is true. He does love us. He is kind. He is gentle. But like any loving Father, He has an expectation of us. But, in His love for us, He also understands that like little children we are incapable of meeting those expectations. So he sent Jesus to come and die for us. Not only for our sins, but to save us from Himself. And that, dear ones, is where people throw up their hands and say see? I told you. A cosmic dictator. I get it. I really do. But that cosmic dictator is the one who created everything. And if you don’t chose to believe that very first thing as outlined in Genesis, NOTHING else will make sense. Everything has a beginning. Everything.

So with that, if you are indeed still with me, I can offer words of scripture to help you sort out why this happened. And continues to happen. But I couldn’t offer that until you could understand the beginning. The bible tells us in Proverbs 9:10 that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. So without understanding who God is, nothing of comfort offered by people of God will be understood as such, but seen in a way that makes Christians look pious and “holier than thou”. I can assure you, we don’t. We understand, especially in times of trial and hardship and that is why we offer to share the Gospel with you. And we also understand that it may seem like salt on a wound. But all we can do is try. And hope that in some small way, you remember that God DOES indeed love you in times like this. But if you don’t chose to accept the free gift He gives, and understand our need to understand who we are and our need to repent, how can you expect Him to help you to understand His ways? I feel the need to not only provide a way of comfort but to defend the God I serve with all my heart. And I invite any comments, whether good or bad, and will do my best to answer any questions I can or direct you to someone who can. My email address is cynner_g@hotmail.com

Please know we love you and are standing with you in this time and our hearts break with you even though we may not all know each other intimately. Below are verses that I hope will encourage you and help you find some peace in your soul, if not today then when it stops hurting to even breathe.

Psalm 34:18
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Psalm 147:3
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
Isaiah 55:6
Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.
Isaiah 53:3
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Isaiah 53:5
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
Isaiah 63:9
In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.
John 11:25-26
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
John 11:35
Jesus wept.

Isaiah 40: 28-31

8 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the whole earth.
He never becomes faint or weary;
there is no limit to his understanding.
29 He gives strength to the faint
and strengthens the powerless.
30 Youths may become faint and weary,
and young men stumble and fall,
31 but those who trust in the Lord
will renew their strength;
they will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not become weary,
they will walk and not faint.

Hebrews 4:15-16
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.