Faithfully yours - A message of hope to a chaotic world
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- Published on Saturday, July 23, 2016
By Neil Strohschein
Neepawa Banner
The old saying goes like this: 鈥淭here are three sides to every story鈥攜our side, my side and the truth.鈥� In view of some of the things that happened this past week, I鈥檇 like to reword that saying to read: 鈥淭here are three sides to every tragedy鈥攖he facts we hear, see or read; the speculation created by those who think they know why the events took place; and then the truth.鈥�
Case in point鈥攖he senseless murder of five-year-old Taliyah Marsman and her mom, Sarah Baillie.
As soon as Calgary City Police revealed that they had a suspect in custody and that he had been charged with two counts of First Degree Murder, people started asking: 鈥淲ho is the suspect? What do we know about him? How did he know Sarah and Taliyah?鈥� And the one question on everyone鈥檚 mind was: 鈥淲hy were these lives taken in such a horrible manner?鈥�
The only answer they received, because it was the only answer Calgary鈥檚 City Police could give was: 鈥淲e don鈥檛 know. That鈥檚 what we鈥檙e working around the clock to find out.鈥� In other words, they are looking for the story鈥檚 third side. They are looking for the truth.
The same can be said for the police and military in Nice, France. They are busy trying to figure out why a man drove a transport truck into a crowd of people watching the fireworks that capped off a day-long celebration of Bastille Day. Film footage showed the truck approaching the crowd and then accelerating. By the time it stopped, 84 people were dead and dozens of others were injured, some critically.
French President Hollande called this a terrorist act, which immediately caused people to wonder which terrorist organization was responsible. No one really knows for sure, so like the police investigating the Marsman-Baillie murders, officials in France are looking for the third side of the story. They are looking for the truth.
Over time, investigators will find most of the information they are seeking. They will release what they feel the public needs to know. The rest will be kept on file. Their focus, and our focus must now be on the future. How can we help the grieving families heal and how can we build a society that is more accepting, more tolerant of differences and much less violent?
It is here that, as people of faith, we can make a significant contribution. How do we do this?
First, by our prayers. I was encouraged last Sunday to see people of all faith traditions offer prayers for the safety of our police, firefighters, EMS personnel and military and cry out to God for an end to violence and for peace to prevail in our homes, in our streets and in our world. As tensions and uncertainty in our world increase, so must the prayers of God鈥檚 people.
Second, by proclaiming our faith in the God who, despite how it may seem, is in complete control of everything that is happening on this planet. This is not the first time our society has seemed to be on the verge of destroying itself and it certainly won鈥檛 be the last.
We would do well to listen to the words of King David who, in the face of severe adversity, wrote these words: 鈥淚n God I trust; I am not afraid. What can people do to me?鈥� (Psalm 56:11)
Our message to a chaotic world is: 鈥淧ray to God. Trust in God. He will preserve, protect and provide for all who believe in him.鈥�
