Unfading Beauty and Strength

Christian Encouragement and Practical Tips for Ordinary Women

Inside: Giving thanks during a tragedy

The following post was written after a tragic shooting in my hometown.

The Fallen Five

2015: It shook the whole city.

I work at the hospital where the victims were taken, and, while I was not directly involved with any of the victims, I very well could have been with just a little change in timing. 

I do know the nurses and doctors and surgical techs who were involved with the surgeries. They are friends, mentors, teachers, and team members.

Im so proud of my team members. They deserve to be recognized. We deserve to be thanked every day.

We do see our share of “traumas”.  Quite often, we see many shootings and stabbings, often gang-related.

We see head injuries, motor vehicle crashes, and a fair amount of work-related or alcohol-related issues. 

My hospital works hard for all these cases.

I am thankful to be a part of a community that takes value in all their patients’ lives, even the ones who do not always deserve it. 

But, it is not our job to judge.

Who are we to judge whether someone deserves to live or not? Our job is to save lives, not question the merits deserved.

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye. ” Matthew 7: 1-5

Every person has value in God’s eyes, even the drunkards, murderers, and those who appear to be our enemy.

For we live in a fallen world with fallen people all around us, including ourselves.  Sometimes, even when good people get the merit they deserve, there are still people in the background complaining and griping.

Such as…

“I work hard every day; I deserve to be recognized too”   

“Why aren’t we recognized like this for every ‘traumatic’ case?” 

Those are some of the complaints I have heard.  While most things said have been good, statements like these make me sad.

Why can’t we just be happy for those who deserve recognition, for any reason?

Their complaints are justified; they should be recognized and thanked. But we must not allow bitterness to hinder us when our own team members and friends are recognized.  

We need to be happy for those at the moment and pray that we never have that kind of need to be recognized again. I do not want to be recognized, for that only means that more grief and tragedy have come our way. 

In addition, may we remember to thank the whole community.

As you are praying for our city and country, do remember to thank those who had to immediately respond to the events. 

Because it took a whole community, not just the people you see on the media.

It took a whole community, from the highest in command to the lowest paying assistants.

And remember that God values every life.

I know He is grieving with us, for He is a just and merciful God.  

While my heart breaks for the families of those fallen heroes, it breaks for the people who worked tirelessly around the clock to save lives, but,

We know the end of the story.

Although the loss of lives is a failure, it is not the ultimate failure.  God does bring good to all situations.  In our situation, it has brought a community together, if for but a brief few weeks. We cannot always see the end, but there is One who can. And he has given us grace and value by breathing life into us.

“If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important. Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct.” “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have opportunity, we should do good to everyone-especially to those in the family of faith.”  Galatians 6:3-5; 9-10

Remember Your Heroes.

This weekend as we are enjoying time with family, let us remember all our heroes. Heroes walk in all parts of life and come in all different shapes, sizes, and colors. Some of the greatest heroes I know are the ones who may never be remembered or thanked.  God Bless the USA!

As always, thank you for reading, and if you enjoyed this post, I would appreciate your shares on social media.

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