Thursday, February 10, 2011

The Actions of One

The Actions of One
By Tracy Buzynski

In lieu of the recent shootings that have taken place in Omaha and Arizona I find myself thinking about what utter chaos and devastation one person can cause. When you first heard the news of these two horrible events how did you feel? I found myself feeling shocked, then horrified as I watched the live coverage that lasted for days. Although I didn’t know any of them personally, I shed more than a couple of tears as the commentators talked about the lives of the victims. The young aide, who was engaged just starting his life. The man who died shielding his wife, but saving her. The judge, the grandma and the nine year old child…we as human beings can relate to all of them. Hearing the story of their lives make it relevant to our own. Nineteen people were injured that day all by the actions of one.

What are we to do now? I am sure that many prayers have been said for all the victims and their families from all over the world, which is a wonderful thing. James 5:16 says, “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”

But do you find yourself living in fear? At first I was hesitant about telling my middle-school age child about the shootings. Every mom wants to protect her child from the evil that is in this world. Can’t our kids just be kids? But that is not the world in which we live. Media is everywhere - television, radio, internet and of course they also discuss these events in school. So take some time to have an age-appropriate discussion with your children. Ask them what they are feeling, and pass along any information that you feel is right. Look up passages in the Bible together. See what God says about His protection. The enemy wants us to live in fear and uncertainty, and to do nothing but feel helpless in a helpless situation.

So if we are feeling helpless, what can the actions of one do to make a difference? We know prayer is powerful. If one prays for the nineteen and their families, just how many is that prayer reaching? Only God knows.

Genesis 2:18 says, “It is not good for man to be alone.” If one were to show kindness to those who are alone, how could it change our world? What we do, how we think and how we act matters. Not only to ourselves, but to others. Why not show kindness to everyone and teach our kids to do the same? The new kid at school, the loner… If we think about it, we all know someone who could use some kindness. Let prayer and kindness be your actions of one.
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Tracy Buzynski is the owner of Encourage Me Kids, Making a Difference One Kid at a Time. Check out her website at http://www.encouragemekids.com/.