Renewal

I have been changing my eating habits this past week, which has required more cooking and less time in front of the computer. It's spring time, a time of renewal, especially with Easter just passed. Lent was nothing for me -- I tried to give up fast food, but lasted all of a day. Easter, though, really felt like a time of refreshing. And things are moving forward now at work and at home.

Then there's the news cycle, with its depressing and shocking top story of the week. It's interesting how news events can conflict with the natural calendar. I caught a glimpse of the defiant rally that was held a couple of days after the Virginia Tech shootings, and I was struck by how strident Nikki Giovanni was, I think. I only saw the briefest of brief segments of the rally, so I'm not sure it was her. Still, it was an interesting response. She attempted to connect Virginia Tech's suffering with the suffering of people around the world, and to defy the tragedy with the refrain, "We are Virginia Tech," or, "We are the Hokies." It was a poetic response and a brave one, but maybe not the one I would have chosen. My response to tragedy is not defiance but reflection, and it takes a while to grieve something like this. The refrain, "We are the Hokies," which means many things to the students there, alumni, etc., does not mean much to me. My response might be something like, "We are the children of God, and we belong to Him." An interesting response, but maybe not the right one, either. I am criticizing Nikki Giovanni's response, but I'm not being critical of her. I'm trying to put myself in her shoes. I'm looking for a Godly response to the tragedy, rather than a worldly one. I don't think I'll see that kind of response in the mainstream media, or even in the blogosphere. I think God's perspective on all this has got to be one of sorrow and righteous anger. This event is one thing Christ paid for on the cross, and I'm sure it caused Him pain. I wonder how, as a Christian, I can begin the reconciliation work that is needed to forgive a sin like this one while also working to prevent something like this in the future.