Monday, May 2, 2011

I Don't Want To Rejoice

43 You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

I'm having a hard time with the Osama bin Laden news. I went to bed super early last night, so I didn't even know that it had happened until early this morning. My friend had a status on Facebook that said, "I don't want to rejoice any person's death." I checked the news and saw the headline "Justice Is Done. Osama bin Laden is dead." And a picture of people cheering around the World Trade Center.

My first thought was that justice was done. But then I started to think about the American concept of justice and the Biblical concept of justice. What Osama bin Laden did was evil, but I still don't want to rejoice in his death. It is making me turn towards myself and see the sin I carry. It makes me want to make the world more beautiful with God's love.

So I'm going to try and pray for him. Love my enemy as best I can.

3 comments:

  1. Carmen from the morning radio show I listen to said this:
    Clearly emotions are mixed this a.m. with the news of the death of Osama Bin Laden. Evil exists. And justice may have been served, but the fact remains that a human soul will spend eternity absent from the Lord. God's heart: "As surely as I live, says the Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live..." -God
    Ezekiel 33:11

    I appreciated the prospective. I appreciate the fact that I can somewhat feel as though our soldiers sacrifice was for something, but it is still another life lost. VERY mixed emotions.

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  2. I saw footage this morning of a college campus in Ohio celebrating the news of bin Laden's death as though it was New Year's Eve. I thought it was kind of weird.

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  3. You have a beautiful heart, Danae. To celebrate someone's death in this way is very strange. I know that the people who lost loved ones on that tragic day all those years ago are feeling like justice was served. I heard someone on the news ask if it was even legal to break in and kill him like that. Yes, it wasn't legal for him to do that to us, but where does this end?

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