random act of violence in our own backyard...

one of my mentors (i'm fortunate to have several, all of whom are much wiser than me) has an employee that lost his nephew to a senseless act of violence this week. i want to set this one up for you, not to be graphic but to help you appreciate how for many of us our days are numbered. a guy were going to call larry (changed name but i'm sure you realize that) received a call that had him asking that all too accessible question of "God, why do bad things happen to good people?!!"
larry was at work when he received the call. the caller said "i need you, please hurry!"
arriving at the scene, larry began to be briefed on the horrific details, and here they are as i recall him sharing:
(not quoted for absolute accuracy but my best recollection, larry talking)
my nephew was filling in as manager for a remote store that needed a sub for a few days. during his time there, he encountered a former employee that was attempting to act out a robbery he had been planning for several months, if not years. my nephew was at the front desk helping another employee when the perpetrator entered the store. no time was wasted (as he saw the footage on video - can you imagine the pain of viewing this) and the perpetrator made it known that he was there to take them for all the money in the store and was armed and dangerous.
it's at this point that quite a few things literally came out of focus because next thing i know my nephew and the employee he was assisting are escorted to the backroom, out of plain view of security cameras. i could hear muffled voices and what appeared to be yelling from the young man with a gun. the latter was obviously scared and it also seemed as though he might have heard or seen something that he didn't anticipate, forcing him to a back-up plan- whatever was taking place in the backroom. it was a few moments later that shots rang out and the shooter could be seen jumping over the front counter (back in plain view of the camera) and running out the door. the final scene from the footage was where the pain began to take shape, the shooter dropped the bags of money in the entryway and kept running.
cops and medical staff arrived to what is being described as two young men tied up and shot execution style in the back of the head. one of those men was larry's nephew.

larry had more to say and certainly the feelings were still with him in equal strength days later, if not even worse by that time. it would never be easy to lose a loved one, however the way this all unfolded has had us all meditating on what possesses another to commit such a terrible act of violence.
i'm not close friends with larry. in fact, until just the other day i only knew his face and had no other knowledge about him. through this tragedy and others like it, you begin to learn a lot about a person in fairly short order. larry accepted Christ earlier this year, later in life. his faith life is very new and this incident has tested it far more than anything else. the area of focus besides the obvious is that larry is caught on how the shooter didn't even attempt to go back for the money, even though that's what was so important to him and the very cause for carrying out this plan in the first place. this is a very valid and horrific reality and the fact of the matter is that it brings us to a closer understanding of how evil can truly prevail once it permeates our soul. we are surrounded by evil every day, all of which has the potential to possess each one of us to carry out things we fear the most. Christ himself faced this very same temptation thousands of years ago and he is believed to have lived a perfect life. this should tell us something about how we are just as susceptible to fall prey to the temptations and desires of evil.

for the record, the shooter was caught and is will be tried as an adult in forthcoming judicial proceedings. this of course doesn't comfort larry as his nephew's remains (he was cremated by request of his will) are being scattered this weekend.

what i hope the few readers who navigate this page take from this is that i wish for you to protect your hearts from evil. Christians are commanded to seize their thoughts and i believe the same holds true for those who choose other methods of faith. i believe its important for all of us to be aware of the forces that pull us away from inner peace and balance. evil has a way of making itself/himself well known as you place more faith in all things good. in the Bible it tells us that Satan (evil) does not know our thoughts before we vocalize them, like Christ does with every passing breath. however, you can be certain that Satan pays close attention when we speak aloud our doubts and challenges.
i believe its healthy to ask difficult questions and wrestle with our faith in everything. i believe it is equally important to take the time and pray (or whatever other form of communication/contemplation is appropriate) out evil, to cast it/him away as much as possible.

i don't have the answer (nor does anyone i know) to why God allows bad things to happen to good people. what i do know is that he will use this time to transform lives if they are willing to trust Him.
i by no means equate my personal experiences with the death of a young man but what i can say is this... my divorce (my loss) has lead to transformation that i couldn't perceive prior to the fact, and mostly because i trusted (this took a LOT of time) in God to use it to work on my heart. the Bible promises that just as God gives at times, he also takes away. this is not something i believe we are meant to understand on this side of the grave. i've at least rested on this conclusion.

may all of you find protection so that temptations of the mind do not result in actions.