Fear on UT campus

Today is Mother's Day Out for Marshall. When I arrived at the church to drop him off, my keycode to get into the building wouldn't work. A few minutes passed, then a sweet lady appeared behind the glass doors and poked her head out. She probed gently, "Are you here for Mother's Day Out?"

I said yes and gave her my name. She then informed me that the church was in lockdown mode because a few blocks away, on UT campus, there was a shooter, possibly two of them. As a security precaution, they were strictly monitoring traffic coming and going from the building.

After I dropped my son off and left, I quickly tuned into the radio to hear what was going on. I was shocked when I learned that the shooter was in the PCL (Perry Castenada Library), where I had spent many hours both as an undergrad, and more recently, as a grad student. I listened as reports came in from students on Twitter and Facebook about the shooter. It didn't sound like he killed anyone but himself, but the very news of a shooter made me shudder.

Once again...fear washed over me. What if Marshall was a college student when that happened? What about parents who had kids at UT at that moment? Lord, how do we trust You in times like these? If something awful happened, how do we continue worshipping and following You, without getting angry, bitter or full of despair?

I have to bring every thought captive and remember what I had reflected on earlier. We are "strangers" here on earth, in this foreign place where there is real evil, sadness and tragedy. But we look forward to the "hope that is to be revealed." Until then, we groan, longing eagerly for our home in heaven.

Easy to say, harder to put in practice. But I'm trying. Daily.

Lord, keep my mind on things above and trust in Your provision.