When somewhere, far away becomes here and now

Every day we hear of some new bombing or shooting in far off lands. I think we all feel a twinge of sadness, but don't let it affect us too much. It's far away...it's people we don't know and probably will never know. We just don't have the capacity to grieve for everyone.

And then you hear a report one day about a bombing in Egypt. One American is killed. You feel bad, knowing that there is a family mourning a little closer to home than somewhere else, far away.

Then you hear another report. That American was a young man from your state. He actually went to high school in your city--within walking distance of your church. He was a Christian and a missionary.

Then today, we went to church and talked to several of the young adults in our Tuesday night LifeStream group. Many of them knew the young man well. They remembered him as a popular guy who had a knack for making everyone feel accepted. He ran track with one of them. He came alongside another when he was just a freshman and was painfully shy.

And the report of some bombing somewhere far away, is now here, in your midst, affecting people you care about. It makes you realize that no matter where things like this happen, someone, somewhere, is touched, hurt, mourning. It makes me thankful for a God that sees it all and is there--whether far away, or right next door.


Here's a link to a local story about the young man killed in the Egypt blast. Pray for his family. We'd also ask that you pray for the young people in our LifeStream Bible study who knew him and who are also mourning his loss.