The news lately has been brutal. And nothing pains my heart quite like a hurting child. Walker Wilbanks’ death shook me as a father. Seeing the story about the five kids murdered, quite possibly by their own father, sickens me. Reading about the bullies who tricked an autistic boy into dumping a bucket of urine and spit on his head angers me. What if that was my son? We live in a broken world. How can a child suffer? I struggle to find words to make sense of it.
A person I greatly respect was in a terrible car accident. Then, to add more heartbreak to her injury, her grandson died tragically. She’s always quick to motivate others. Now she is in mental and physical. I struggle to find words to comfort her.
Tomorrow is the 13th anniversary of 9/11. I remember that day with painful clarity. I remember standing dumbfounded as the jets flew into the Trade Center towers. The flames. The suicides. The collapse. The bravery of first responders and the passengers on Flight 93. I struggle to find words to describe it to my kids.
But maybe words aren’t the solution. Maybe actions are. In a world that seems to have lost its freakin’ mind, maybe it’s time for us all to step up and be a force of good. We create a strong foundation of core values and build on that. It’s time for us to reach out and be what this world sorely lacks.
We live in a beautiful but harsh world. And at times, it seems like all is lost. But now is not time to be victims. Now is, as Coach Bill Courtney says, time to lead by serving. Words won’t cut it. It’s time for action.
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