Faith in the Cracks – Allowing God to seep into the cracks in our lives.

In the past week 4 young people have been shot for making mistakes. Last week, Ralph Yarl of Kansas City was at the wrong house to pick up his younger siblings and was shot twice through the door after ringing the doorbell. Monday, Kaylin Gillis was shot in Hebron, NY when the people she was with turned into the wrong driveway on a rural road. No one got out of the car, yet they were shot at and a bullet killed Kaylin who was 20. Just yesterday, 2 Texas cheerleaders were shot in an H-E-B parking lot in Elgin, TX because one girl opened the door to a car she mistook for her own. They were shot.

Who among us has not made any mistakes? Who among us hasn’t had the wrong house or mistaken a car for our own. I know I have. I also have been the homeowner when someone mistakenly knocked on my door. Door dash has done it. Random people have done it. Does it make me a little nervous at times, yes. But never have I felt actually threatened.

I am done with “stand your ground” and “castle” laws. I don’t think any of the incidents of the past week fall into those categories. Do I think people were surprised and perhaps scared, yes. But does that warrant shooting a gun? We have become a nation gripped by fear. We fear anyone who isn’t like us or does things we don’t like. We have devolved into shoot first, ask questions later and guess what, it still doesn’t work.

We have to find a way forward. We have to find a better system with gun laws. We have to let go of fear and ask questions first. Easier said than done.