Our Greatest Task

I have not been able to get the Graves Family out of my head these last 2 days. My heart is breaking for them. Maybe it's because I look at the picture of their sweet boy and I see my own boys. I see their smiles. I see them playing and splashing in the water, like all boys love to do. I see us spending a fun evening together on a sandy beach watching fireworks. I see my boys picking up rocks and washing them off in the water so they can add them to their rock treasure collection. I hear their laughter as they splash each other in the water.

Then...I see myself looking away for a split second.

And I see disaster striking.

I imagine the sounds in my mind. The terror. The panic. The helplessness.

I imagine the grief. The regret. The what-ifs. The unimaginable sorrow...forever.

And I just cry for this family. And pray. Because parents....this could have been any one of us. There is not a parent among us who can say that we can see our children 100% of the time. That we can foresee every disaster that might strike 24 hours a day. Or that, even if we foresee it seconds before, that we could get there in time to prevent it.   

Those pointing fingers at this family should be ashamed.  Ashamed because they are claiming to be perfect parents.  Ashamed because they are not showing love and compassion to this family during this awful tragedy that they are having to endure.  Ashamed because they are teaching their own children by example to harbor these same arrogant and unfeeling, hateful attitudes towards others.   Ashamed because tomorrow, it could be them.   

Friends, we are given these precious children by the Lord to love and care for, to feed and clothe, to teach and train.  We have no idea how many days and hours we have to spend with each one here on earth.  As much as we may wish, we can't put our children in a bubble and protect them from every accident that they may come in contact with throughout their lives.  We Just. Can't. Foresee. Everything.   

But the Lord sees.  He sees our faults, he sees our failures.  He sees our children…and loves them even more than we do. 

Our greatest task is not to prevent all accidents.  It is to teach our children to love the Lord, to serve Him, to have faith in the One that gave them life, so that when their life on earth is over, they will have eternal life. And to do this, we should be modeling Christ-like behavior in every way we can, every single day.  So take a moment and love these parents.  Pray for them with your children.  Have compassion.  Put yourself in their shoes.  Show your children the way that Christ would act in this situation. 

And put down your weapons.  Stop accusing.  Stop spewing hateful words toward these parents.  Stop thinking that you are so much better than they are because "this would just never happen to you".  Stop pointing your finger at these parents, and instead turn it on yourself.   Have you been perfect today?