Ordinary
Another mass shooting in America. Was it a school this time? A bank? A grocery store? A funeral home? Does it matter?
How often do the words “mass shooting” appear on the news banner of the 6:00 news? How often do we hear those words spoken by the exasperated news anchor? Do we wince when we hear it? Do we shudder when we see it? Do we lash out when we read about it? Do we pray? Do we call our representatives again and yell into their voicemail inboxes? Do we become numb, sigh heavily, and turn away? Do we have to sit down and hold our head in our hands?
And then, the news banner changes to something else (gas prices, maybe?) and the anchor quickly switches tone. Life goes on. But does it? Life, for those involved is permanently paused. An awful moment frozen in time while the rest of the world carries on with their absolutely normal lives. Driving cars, buying groceries, fetching the mail. Meanwhile, a parent in Nashville buries her child. A wife in Louisville grieves the loss of her spouse. A young child wonders why mom hasn’t come home yet.
What is happening in this country is anything but ordinary, and it will take the will of people doing extraordinary things to create change. Registering people to vote, marching, calling our legislators, praying, taking care of one another, healing the hurting, are all ordinary things we can do to make change in our country.
I find solace in knowing that there are people in our Peace community that are on the front lines fighting for sensible gun laws, petitioning our lawmakers, and marching for change. If an ordinary mustard seed’s extraordinary faith can move a mountain, surely the faith we have at Peace can change hearts and minds of people as unmoving as a mountain.
Let’s move mountains, Peace people. Moving mountains and changing the world, just another ordinary day for our Peace community.
Kelly is a wife, mother, daughter, sister, teacher, and friend. She loves her Peace community and how involved they are in doing God’s work each and every ordinary day.