What evil intends can be changed toward good. We can be victims or we can be victorious. We can be stuck or we can overcome. We can raise fists or we can have open arms. We can hate or we can love.
"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives."
Genesis 50:20
Recently, two Los Angeles Deputies were shot in a failed assassination attempt on their lives. The video of the shooter walking up to their patrol car and shooting them both in the face then running away was cowardly. How the female deputy pulled her partner to safety was heroic. She cared for her partner while her own blood poured onto her shirt. She continued to serve. That's what people do who care about others. That's why people become cops. They have a desire to serve. What evil intended to destroy is offering a community the opportunity to come together for good.
In honor of 9/11, two Ohio high school football players wanted to honor law enforcement and firefighters who ran toward danger as Twin Towers fell. They wanted to offer a different perspective to the hate against law enforcement by showing respect for their fathers who work as a firefighter and police officer. They asked their teammates if they could carry flags that honor those professions while running into the stadium before a game and received unanimous support. Brady Williams and Jared Bentley carried those flags and were subsequently suspended from school because they did not have permission from the school. The shame that the school directed at the students has subsequently been removed as the outraged community came together for good.
Change takes courage, effort, and a desire to change. It is possible. It brings hope. Where there is evil at work in the world we can change it toward good.
Watch this video put out by the LA Sheriff's Department on surviving an Active Shooter event: https://youtu.be/DFQ-oxhdFjE