Tragedy in Connecticut

I sat glued to my TV yesterday afternoon as the horrific details of the elementary school shooting in Connecticut emerged. Twenty young children, all with their lives ahead of them, dead at the hands of a crazed gunman. Twenty sets of parents who won't watch their children open up his or her Christmas presents this year. Twenty families who will never, ever be the same. And the adults who were killed - their families are grieving too. As we go about our holiday celebrations in the coming days, these people will be burying their loved ones.

As more details are revealed in the coming days, there will be much discussion on gun control and perhaps mental illness. We will seek to place blame somewhere, anywhere in an attempt to understand this senseless act.

I know where the blame lies. It lies in man's sinful heart. There is evil in this world. We saw it with our own eyes in each news report, as each heart-wrenching detail was made known.

I fell to my knees, praying for those directly affected by this horrific tragedy. But I prayed for our country, too. We need God. We've tried to remove Him from schools and government, but today's tragedy made it clear that path isn't working. We must turn back to Him.

My heart is so heavy for those who have lost loved ones. But I want them to know there is hope in Jesus. He can heal hearts and bring peace in the midst of unimaginable pain. My prayer is that people will draw close to Him in these sad days.