Two ways to end gun violence
By Jill Krueger Wagner
I know of two ways to end gun violence. The first involves the way we treat others.
Our society pretends to care about others but in truth we
all tend to be self-absorbed. We have our individual agendas, our “must-do”
lists that have a way of eating up our days. We don’t have time to see what is
going on in the lives of those around us. When we get up in the morning we don’t
ask, “Is there anyone I know who needs a kind word or help today?” Instead we
think, “What do I have to do?” If we took the time to consider those around us
we might notice a child that needs some extra love or a mother at the end of
her rope trying to deal with that child. We would care for outcast kids, the “weird”
ones who don’t fit. They need us, all of us.
The other way is to reconnect with truth. We all have a
tendency to believe nice sounding lies that say everything is alright when in
reality everything is out of focus. If we become addicted to helping others as
suggested above we can lose our zest for life in the demands placed on us. We
need balance.
When asked what the greatest commandment of the law was,
Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your hearts and with all your soul
and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the
second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Those are the two ways to end gun violence – caring about
others and putting God first in your life.
