Got Faith?

It's easy to make fun of people that aren't like us. In fact, one of my favorite things to do is people watch. I love to sit and chat with friends, but sometimes it's fun to just sit and watch people as they walk by. You wonder why they wear what they wear, or if they looked in the mirror before they left the house, or if they realize you can see them dancing and singing down the street. People watching is usually done in fun, and the watchee usually doesn't have a clue.

People watching in Pennsylvania got a little out of control this week. In fact, it wasn't really people watching...it was ogling and in-your-face and inconsiderate.

We were getting ready to go out to dinner Monday evening when we heard the news. A man walked into an Amish school and shot 10 young girls in the head, then killed himself. WHAT IS HAPPENING IN OUR COUNTRY??

The tragedy was the topic of discussion for most of the week. We asked a million questions...why didn't he just kill himself? Why did he chose the Amish? What was wrong with this man? Why did this happen?

The most amazing part of this whole tragedy is the way the Amish community has handled this. They lost 5 of their children, and they mourned them, but they also mourned the loss of a father and husband -- even though he was the reason they lost 5 children. They offered forgiveness to the dead man's wife, and they made it clear that they KNEW this was God's will, and that He had a plan.

A lot of us, in tragic situations, will SAY we know it was God's will, but we continue to try to figure out WHY it happened, and WHEN it will get better, and WHAT the future holds. I don't think the Amish are doing this. They accept it point-blank as God's plan, and they bond together and depend on God and each other, and they get through it and move on. They KNOW that God has saved them and that they will go to heaven when they die, so they REJOICE that their kids are in a better place, even though they miss them.

Where does faith like that come from?

I have a new respect for the Amish. I used to think they were naive and not as smart as the rest of us, but maybe we're the naive ones. They know what is most important in life...their relationship with God. They don't have the distractions that the rest of us have.

Granted, I don't think God commands us to ignore the progressions in technology that have been made in the last 100 years, but He gives us the ability to choose how we want to live. I'm glad that I don't live without electricity or my car or my cell phone, but I bet you that I could focus more on what God wants me to do without those things.

I am not ready to give up my comforts of life, but my eyes have been opened a little bit this week, and I will praying for healing for the Amish community, as well as for the family of the man who caused this.