What do you say when your kids ask you “Why does our world lack empathy?”

“Why don’t people care that kids are being killed in their schools?”

“Why do people care more about having guns then the safety of others?”

What do you say when your kids tell you that they don’t see any good in the world.  At least their part of the world.  When they tell you that they feel hopeless.

Do I tell them that they are just little “snowflakes”?  That I didn’t raise them to be tough enough.  Do I remind them that life just isn’t fair and they need to get over it?

I couldn’t answer their questions because I have the very same questions.

I’m seeing people say on social media that God puts people who He wants into power.  For instance, the president of the United States.  Those same people then go on to argue that we need to have access to assault weapons in case our government goes hay wire and we need to protect ourselves.  Is this confusing to anyone else?  Do you trust God or not?

And there’s the “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people.”  Along with, “People get killed by cars, but we aren’t banning them.”  It’s exhausting.

I get that this is a big problem with LOTS of aspects to consider.  There don’t seem to be easy answers.  But to me…there do seem to be places to start or consider.

I’m not against people owning guns.  I think that is perfectly fine.  I have friends who own guns for sport, some for safety concerns and some are hunters.  I have one friend who provides for his family by hunting.  I wouldn’t want his gun taken away because his family would go hungry.  That’s crazy to me.  I do, however, think it is perfectly reasonable to say that average citizens should not have weapons that can kill masses of people easily.  And I think that it is perfectly reasonable that someone should have to go through licensing and training to own a gun.  You need a license for far less dangerous things.  To me it’s a no brainer.  But that’s me.

My kids asked why don’t people have empathy for the parents who have lost a child to gun violence.  I think lots of people feel bad about it.  I think lots of people are distraught and want things to change.  But it seems that many aren’t willing to go that extra step to say enough is enough and we need stronger regulations on guns.

It is a completely different situation, but I can’t help but think of some of the parents that I’ve met who have gay children.  They are actually surprised by their reactions when their kids come out.  Why?  Well because they would tell you that they love gay people.  In fact, they don’t have a problem with them at all…live and let live they would say.  They’ve worked with gay people without a problem with it and some have even had gay family members.  But their kid comes out and they are devastated.  Something is just different when it is your own kid.

I think this situation may be similar to that.  People don’t like that it’s happening, but it’s not happening to them.  At least not yet.  They may find themselves walking a different walk and talking a different talk if it one day ends up being their child that’s gunned down.

I believe a lot of what all of this boils down to is a love problem.  The lack of it.  Love matters and when it is absent devastating consequences happen.  Jesus came to this earth to show us the Father.  And what did Jesus do?  He loved…unconditionally.  When crowds were gathered and he was teaching, or feeding, or healing, he didn’t poll the crowd to see who was worthy of the Word, or the food, or the health.  It was for everyone.  There wasn’t a criteria that needed to be met.  We need to pay attention to that and stop the bullying, and the attacking, and the isolating of those we deem unworthy or too weird or too…whatever.  Especially when it comes to kids.

I wasn’t going to say anything about this, but looking into the faces of my children I couldn’t be silent.  Especially since God is the one that told me love matters.  Of course it does.  It’s His greatest command.

What if we loved radically like Jesus?  Would it make a difference?  I think it would.

Because love matters…