Equals

Over the last two days I have become increasingly annoyed by what I have seen on Facebook and heard from people reflecting on the shooting that took place in Connecticut. Now I want to start out by saying I don't want to offend anyone, but I am going to say this anyways, and if you are offended deal with it. 

I had no intentions of really blogging on this topic, I know it is a sensitive issue, but I was just on Facebook and saw the following,


Please pass this on, and share with everyone. I made this as a way for people to remember the 26 names of those that matter most, not the 1 name the media chooses to exploit. 

(Emphasis my own)

At first glance it seemed like one among many of the memorials people have been posting on Facebook. I was not surprised to see many of these pop up as people try to wrestle with and deal with what happened. What bothered me is the part that I bolded. I have seen and heard comments like this in multiple places since this event and after other horrific events, and it makes me mad.

Twenty seven people died that day. Yes, they all died at the hands of one person, but 27 people were lost. It may be hard to swallow, but not a single one of those lives was more important than any other, victim or shooter, they  all had equal value as a human being. One may have caused the loss of 27 lives, but that doesn't make him of any less value. 

God calls us to love all people, not just those who are easy to love. God calls us to see everyone as a creature created in his image, that includes Adam Lanza. All 27 of the people who died in this incident were created in God's image, all 27 of these people were tainted by sin. It may be tough to swallow, but each of those 26 that everyone is willing to acknowledge were also tainted by sin. We as human beings like to classify our sins as some being more horrific or more damning than others...reality check, without the saving grace of Jesus Christ we are all damned, whether we are an teacher protecting our students from a shooter, or the person doing the shooting. If when Adam Lanza killed himself he had a moment right before he died where he chose to accept Jesus as his Savior, I fully believe he is in heaven, and I call him my brother, if not, then he is a lost soul, and I mourn the fact that Satan won another battle. 

Do I think we should be exploiting or sensationalizing what happened on Friday, no. But let's give ourselves a reality check: every single life that was lost that day was a painful loss. The lives of those who chose not to claim the saving grace of Jesus Christ, those are tragedies, but I make no claim to which, if any, of the 27 those are.

I want people to stop posting and telling me that only 26 of the lives lost in the Connecticut shooting matter. Every single one of the lives lost was valuable and each one matters. 

Without accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior, and accepting his freely offered forgiveness, you are no better off than if you had stood there and been the one to shoot all 27 individuals that day. Don't kid yourself, you are truly no better, nor are you of any greater value than any one of those 27 individuals.