Choose Love

By Hazel Holland

 

Whenever a terrible tragedy like this happens immediately the issue of gun control laws comes up.  And it should.  But isn't what happened yesterday at Sandy Hook Elementary School bigger than banning the right for innocent people to buy and own guns?

Shouldn't it be more about limiting the types of firearms that can be legally purchased in our society?  Most importantly, shouldn't we be making sure that people who suffer from mental health problems are prevented from ever gaining access to guns?  Shouldn't  this be at the top of our list?

Clearly the whole mental health issue needs to be addressed by our health care system and our local governments because it's not working.  For the last few years far too many people who have mental illnesses are falling through the cracks.  Far too many people who need professional help are hurting others in horrific ways.

Isn't it way past time for us to humbly admit that we don't have easy answers?  Doesn't our society need to set up better boundaries to prevent mentally disturbed people from hurting others?  Isn't it way past time for us to come together as a people and place everything on the table as we search for solutions and ways to protect the lives of the innocent?  Especially our precious children! 

Since God has given each one of us the right to free will, this means that we each have an opportunity to hurt or love others.  Although we can't reverse the unimaginable heartache that people are experiencing right now, we each have an opportunity to improve the daily lives of those around us by choosing to show love to them.

Let's decide right now that by God's grace we will choose to improve the lives of those around us by never using our free will to hurt other people.  Instead, we will choose love.♥