As the answers come in but the shock ceases to subside, it is time for each of us to initially pause, recognize we don\u2019t have all the answers, and refrain from rushing to judgment.\u00a0 Hence…<\/p>\n
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What do we know for certain?<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n That bad things still happen.\u00a0 Last I looked, planet Earth could not be equated with heaven, paradise, nor even any Garden of Eden.\u00a0 This isn\u2019t it, folks.\u00a0 And until heaven is reality, we shouldn\u2019t mistake Earth for something it\u2019s not.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What do we know for certain?<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n That suffering continues to occur.\u00a0 This may be the hardest thing we ever have to wrestle with, friends, and this post won\u2019t begin to do the topic justice.\u00a0 I don\u2019t like it; none of us like it.\u00a0 A wise man would wish suffering upon no one; that said, few life circumstances teach us more.\u00a0 We are a stubborn people.\u00a0 I admit it:\u00a0 the Intramuralist can be stubborn.\u00a0 Yet the painful paradox exists in that suffering often manifests itself as life\u2019s most effective teacher.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What do we know for certain?<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n That so much on this planet obstructs the truth.\u00a0 Perhaps most bluntly put, humans often get in the way.\u00a0 For example, too many utilize their 15 minutes of fame or moments before the mic to rush to incomplete (and thus typically inaccurate)<\/em> judgment.\u00a0 Note MSNBC\u2019s Chris Matthews, only a few hours after Boston\u2019s bombing, saying, \u201cNormally, domestic terrorists, people tend to be on the far right.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Mr. Matthews, your response is not helpful nor wise.\u00a0 You are thus potentially impeding truth.\u00a0 Please listen to Pres. Obama, who wisely reminded us all yesterday to not \u201cjump to conclusions before we have all the facts.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n What do we know for certain?<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n That evil exists on this planet.\u00a0 Yes, again, this is no happy, oh-so-joyful analysis; as I believe you are aware, we will never intentionally circumvent truth amidst this blog\u2019s dialogue.\u00a0 Evil is real.\u00a0 Immorality, sin, and depravity are not merely themes embedded within Aesop\u2019s Fables; they are bona fide motivations on this planet.\u00a0 They are hard to acknowledge, and they are motivations that will also not be extinguished simply by crafting new legislation or enacting creative government controls.\u00a0 We are not capable of extinguishing all evil.\u00a0 Hence, let me add a related tangent…\u00a0 the Intramuralist does not care if the existence of evil stems from foreign or domestic sources.\u00a0 We don\u2019t distinguish whether the wickedness manifests itself within an Islamic Jihad, the Klu Klux Klan, or the hatred so often selfishly spewed, masked as a justifiable, passionate response.\u00a0 Evil is evil.\u00a0 It is the complete absence of God; it also then equates to the complete absence of good.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What do we know for certain?<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n That life should never be taken for granted.\u00a0 What happened in Boston yesterday was awful.\u00a0 Tears again flow when I think of the 8 year old boy, killed in the Boston Back Bay section\u2019s blast.\u00a0 Was he there to witness a parent or friend finally complete the grueling race?\u00a0 God grant unprecedented peace to his family.\u00a0 I cannot imagine the level of grief now lingering in the absolute pit of their hearts…<\/p>\n I think, too, of my dear friend, Leesh, who had just finished the race, picked up her medal, and was turning to walk back toward her husband when she witnessed the bombs\u2019 blast in her spouse\u2019s direction…\u00a0 no doubt she is hugging him tightly this night…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What do we know for certain?<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n That there are more important things on this planet than politics, games, and division among good people.\u00a0 God be with us.\u00a0 My sense is we need him.\u00a0 Daily.\u00a0 Desperately.\u00a0 I also deeply, totally, respectfully desire that we all know that for certain.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Respectfully… always…<\/p>\n AR<\/p>\n As the answers come in but the shock ceases to subside, it is time for each of us to initially pause, recognize we don\u2019t have all the answers, and refrain from rushing to judgment.\u00a0 Hence… What do we know for certain? That bad things still happen.\u00a0 Last I looked, planet Earth could not … <\/p>\n