Tragedy in Kentucky

Nobody yet knows why a 15-year-old student opened fire today in Benton, Kentucky, at Marshall County High School.

The latest reports suggest this morning’s horror resulted in the death of two 15-year-old students, one boy and one girl, along with more than a dozen wounded students.

Over the years, school shootings have become an all-too-familiar tragedy.

At an afternoon press conference, Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin remarked, “These children belong to this community, and to specific families in this community. And this is a wound that is going to take a long time to heal, and for some in this community, will never fully heal.”

Governor Bevin is absolutely right.

What happened today is every parent’s worst nightmare. Their day would have started like any other, rustling kids from bed, serving up a quick breakfast, making sure the right books are in the right bag. We send our kids to school and trust that they’ll return safely at day’s end.

But then, suddenly, that orderly and predictable world is shattered. Chaos replaces the calm.

It is all too easy to take our life and our loved ones for granted. We expect tomorrow to be an extension of today.

But this morning’s carnage is yet another reminder there are no promises, no assurances.

Our hearts are breaking for these families, especially those who are mourning the inexplicable loss of their loved ones. Please join me in praying for them, won’t you? May they turn to the Ultimate Source of comfort and consolation, knowing and believing that “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3).