A Conversation with God–The Senseless Slaughter by Jared Loughner is Tough to Reconcile.

Hello God,

I was admittedly a little distracted in church today.  What’s up with the standing room only, lately?  Was there a recent population boom?  Or, are the enormous crowds merely a sign that during hard times, more of us are seeking divine intervention? 

Anyway, I am grateful for this opportunity for a little one on one, “direct to the Big Guy” conversation in the quiet sanctuary of my bedroom. 

I am looking for some answers, God.  A little clarification would be greatly appreciated.  I understand that you are often like “the fry guy” at Mac Donald’s.   Those little unsuspecting French fries are nestled snuggly in their basket, frying away to a state of golden brown perfection, when suddenly the fry guy furiously rustles the basket in an effort to shake things up for the greater good. 

I get it!

Throughout history, as evidenced by plagues, famines, and natural disasters, there have been times when you have seen the need (from your higher perspective) to redistribute, and restore “the natural order.”

Photo Credit: SunLight_by_vL3e

I understand that in the grander scope of all that is, we are insignificant.   Yet, you endowed us with free will and the power to choose what we can create with our lives.   You gave us the ability to overcome our inferiority complex by taking a stand for the darkness or the light.  You bestowed us with the capacity to decide whether to create or destroy.  We believe we can change the world, and just when we think we have made progress, you trump us with your divine order. 

Maybe that is why the recent “tragedy in Tucson” resonates so powerfully with your people.  It’s a continuation of the ongoing struggle between good and evil.  Will the evil gunman, Jared Loughner, succeed in his plan to destroy countless lives, or will goodness (somehow) prevail?

It’s yet to be determined.

The scope of the tragedy is incomprehensible.  The senseless slaughter leaves me wondering why these people were chosen as pawns in your plan.  In the aftermath of the tragedy, we lack your divine perspective. We are left with unfathomable questions to reconcile. 

Why was Gabrielle Giffords, a young, beautiful and energetic public servant left battling a bullet hole through her brain?  Her life is forever changed just as she was reaching the peak of her influence.

Why was a young girl, Christina Greene, whose birth on 9/11 embodied the triumph of good over evil, suddenly and senselessly ripped from the arms of her family.  She died at the hands of the same malevolent force her birth symbolically conquered.  The irony is overwhelming.

Why should the esteemed John Roll, judge and patriarch, be purloined prematurely from his community and family?

In our limited capacity to understand, we place blame on the media, the politicians, the parents—anyone but the culprit.  The reality is that “it’s complicated,” and we may never comprehend how one “mad man” could rationalize and justify his choices.

Photo Credit: bloom_where_you__re_planted_by_fahrmboy

I am left empty, confused, and searching for meaning.  So I close with this request:  “please bless ALL the victims and their families as they reconstruct their lives.  Allow the bloom of your divine grace to emerge quickly through the cracks of this heartbreaking tragedy.”  

P.S.  I am now writing for www.technorati.com  and this article was first published as A Letter to God: Looking for Some Answers from Above on Technorati.