I am sure most of you have heard about the horrible terror attacks in Paris today.  I heard about the events later than most because I was innocently watching My Little Pony of all things on a binge watch (it was an animated show I still had yet to check out and I really liked it).  Then I noticed on my twitter feed a bunch of comments about Paris and I turned on the news.  It was awful.  People at a concert, out to eat, at a soccer game attacked and at least 153 brutally killed.  It’s hard to even wrap my brain around.  I remember feeling that way after 9/11 and the Boston Marathon Bombing.  Why would anyone do such a thing?

My immediate concern was also to my sister who is currently living in Spain and traveling all around Europe on a fairly regular basis.  She just finished up a trip in Amsterdam and I wanted to make sure she was ok.  I didn’t know if I would wake her up but I sent her a text saying I was worried and I guess she had a nightmare and then read my text right after waking up.  That must have been a very surreal experience for her.  She is fortunately safe and not in a major city likely to be targeted but I still worry with her being over there.  I hope and pray she is able to stay safe.

It’s just so awful.  There’s no other way to say it, and what makes it worse is there is so little that can be done about it. Yes we can do more to fight terrorism and I have my own views on the current administrations job in that department but in the end if some wacko wants to go into a public place and do something like this there is little we can do to stop it.  We can’t be under guard and security all the time for every meal we eat, every movie we see, every concert we attend.  That’s not to say we can’t do a heck of a lot and it is a miracle more incidents like this don’t happen but at a certain point we can’t stop it. It’s not like the conflict of old  where a peace treaty is signed and a cavalry withdrawn.  These are soldiers who do not differentiate between civilian and soldier and don’t need a cavalry to do their damage.

It’s very scary time and was foretold to us by Timothy

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come”.

And I guess for me it is a weird experience watching the carnage and hearing the reporters talk about it.  I find I can only listen to about 15 minutes because it becomes circular and I end up weeping at the stories. And yet I feel guilty watching or doing anything else.  But on the other hand, what good is it for me to be upset here in Utah?  Aside from making a donation to the Red Cross or other worthy organization there isn’t much I can do about it.  It’s a very strange feeling to be presented with so much suffering and just have to sit and watch. It’s kind of a no-win situation.

So I went back to watching other programs and considered going to a movie but again for some reason that felt wrong and disrespectful, which I own is kind of ridiculous but that’s how I felt. You kind of feel like in the story of the Good Samaritan the Levite and the priest who leave the suffering man to die, but in this case there isn’t anything you can do despite seeing the images of suffering. Have any of you felt that way?

I guess if it can be any comfort we also know that during these difficult times God will be in the midst of the faithful to give us strength.

Zephaniah “The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy”

We must never forget that He is mighty to save and He will help us and our leaders get through this perilous time.

“I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.”

I know it’s been said a million times but pray for Paris and all those in need of comfort on this horrible day.