As I sit here, I want to say that, in no way do I ever blow sunshine and rainbows up anyone's ass to make them feel better. That's not my style I'm a realist, and a pessimist. I learned about the violent crime that took place in Albion last night, and it made me sad. I saw the anger and hatred that my friends on Facebook were feeling, and it made me sad as well.
Dealing with unacceptable behavior is part of our world. We all do our best to be our best, and sometimes we ourselves break down and do stupid things. We lash out at loved ones... we spew hate among our friends and family, and we act unloving toward many people we pass by every day who we don't even know. It's based in how we ourselves are feeling that day - that moment. It's human nature. I'm among the worst of the bunch... but I internalize. I don't lash out much, but when I do, it can be ugly. It's gotten me fired. It's left a vacancy in my life where my brother once was. Friends come and go, and we all change, but one thing we have to keep mindful of is ourselves and how we handle certain situations and circumstances.
One thing I've learned recently is that we can only control ourselves. I know how angry and hurt people are, seeing how this type of crime rarely happens in our community. It's scary. It's hard to absorb, not knowing how others' minds work, what situations they have where they have no alternatives but to steal, lie, cheat, and in essence, hurt others. I'm in no way condoning what that man did - there is no reason for it, and never will be. I can say I hurt for the victim and her family... and pray for them. But I also have to pray for the accused. What good does it do any of us to harbor hate? None. We only hurt ourselves. We have to let the justice system do its job, and let God do His.
I don't like seeing hearts and flowers being tossed around on the internet and then turn around and see hate and anger from the same people. I know you, and I know you're better than that. Fear turns all of us into ugly people from time to time, but to try and remember that we can only control ourselves is important.
Let go of your hate. Don't lump categories of people into one - that's not fair. Not all illegal immigrants are bad people. My mother and step dad deal with a large group of immigrants at church and they have a heart for them. There are many who are only trying to find a better life. What would our country be if, back when our grandparents and great-grandparents were all tossed out of the US and sent back to their homeland? We didn't have 'illegals' back then - it wasn't like that. I know there have been a lot of changes in people and in our country over time, but think about it. No, I don't agree with some of our country's policies on these types of issues, and I think that people have become weak and therefore angry over what continues to happen to our nation. We hit 7 billion people this weekend - where are we all going to get food? Jobs? Shelter? It's slowly but surely becoming a reality that no one can really comprehend or begin to tackle, especially if there are those in power who have hatred against certain groups. Hate doesn't do anything positive... it can't.
Live the life you're given, and live it as best you're able. Don't let yourself be brought down by the things others do if at all possible. Pray for those who need prayer. Don't discount the people who do wrong, because they're the ones who need the most prayer, after all...
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