READ: ROMANS 8: 31-39
And I am convinced that nothing can every separate us from his love. Death can ‘t and life can’t. The angles and demons can’t. Our fears for today and our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can’t keep God’s love away. (V. 38)
The events of an early Thursday evening in February of 2014, found one of my police brothers from Montgomery County, Maryland, immersed in a nightmare that could best be described by one word— “unspeakable.” The Sergeant was at home, normally the one safe haven police officers have from the daily grind and pressures of the job, when his attention was drawn to a heated argument between his wife and son in an adjoining room. He immediately went to find out what was transpiring and to try to end the family turmoil. However, to his horror, Jim discovered the argument had turned violent. When he entered the room, he saw his son repeatedly stabbing his wife with a pair of shears. In order to stop the brutal attack, Jim made the decision to employ deadly force. He shot and killed his son. By the time EMS was able to stabilize his wife and get her to the hospital she had succumbed to the devastating stab wounds. Two lives that Jim dearly cherished had perished in a flash of family violence and the circumstances were simply “unspeakable” by anyone’s standards.
All police officers accept the fact that one day they may be called upon to take a life in order to protect others or themselves. But none, even in their wildest dreams, ever imagine they would have too justifiably take the life of a family member. Never did any of us ever consider or anticipate that we would be a party to, or witness, the violent death of a family member. Those thoughts are just so remote that thinking about what happened to the sergeant leaves you stunned and speechless. I cannot fathom the extent of the sergeant’s grief or appreciate the emotional, physical and spiritual brokenness he must feel as a result of the evil unleashed upon his family. To my humble way of thinking, it brought the biblical book of Job to life on a modern-day stage.
PAUSE FOR REFLECTION AND PRAYER
The sergeant, and his two surviving daughters continue on a journey of recovery that requires a lot of faith, prayer, encouragement and plain old hard work. All of this can only be done through the help of God and Christ from whose unfailing love we can never be separated by any physical, emotional or evil power.
Please pray your own prayer asking for Jesus to continue to be with the sergeant and his family on this healing journey that will last forever.