let's come together in prayer.

PRAYER.
ONE BODY.
UNITED.

I want to scream this from the rooftops right now. I have spent most of my day switching between doing my work and reading the most recent news update on the tragedy, the MASSACRE that has occurred at Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston. My heart is literally breaking for my brothers and sisters whose lives were lost, the families of the victims, the congregation, Charleston, South Carolina, our state, our nation, our world.

I grieve because this happened. I grieve because this type of hatred because of difference is still occurring in 2015. I grieve because this was a young man who is literally my age. It's a reminder that we live in an imperfect world where evil still exists. Evil is something that will linger here until God's kingdom comes and His will is done here on earth. I grieve because the political realm is using this already as a spring board for pushing their own agendas in regards to legislative measures about guns, etc. that could have "prevented" this and the lives that were lost.

The truth is that it is not the gun that kills an individual, it is the hand that pulls the trigger. An evil, sick man woke up yesterday and decided that for whatever reason he was going to go kill simply because he could. He decided to sit in a house of worship and murder innocent people. No matter what strict policy may or may not be in place or what opinions reporters, politicians, or individuals may have...evil would have found a way. He would have found a way to commit this act if not now, then later. If not this way then in another way. He was EVIL.

However, this is not what I am here to write about. This is not the issue that hurts my heart and shakes my soul. Political agendas are NOT the point right now.

What is important is the victims whose lives were tragically loss, their families left behind, the congregation at Emmanuel AME and the pain ripping through so many right now. This is not the time to become divided on opinions or to use this incident as an example for some legislation.

THIS is the time to unite in prayer.

My heart and soul that breaks is uplifted a bit when I see splashed across my social media so many coming together to pray. How they are uniting as one to simply pray and be together. At this moment that is our greatest weapon and what we need to focus our energy on. We need to focus on coming together as one Body of Christ as is described in Romans 12.

Let us put aside opinions, differences, divisions, anything that separates us as human beings and come together simply because we are all children of The Almighty. Let us simply pray. Truly that is all we can control at the time and is our greatest force. The rest will come with time, but let us not add salt to a deep wound by our prideful intentions, no matter how good they may seem.

May the prayer trend continue throughout our state, nation, and the world. May we give everyone the time to grieve. May we all be One Body united in prayer that supports our brothers and sisters at Emmanuel AME.

Lord in Your Mercy.