The atrocity that a vicious gunman committed against a group of innocent concert goers in Las Vegas on Sunday night is a really huge outrage. Each time an act like this occurs, it causes the anger that we feel to boil, and we question, how people could commit such heinous acts. There are no words to describe the anger, and the sadness that Americans feel about this type of absolutely senseless violence. The victims were simply enjoying a concert with their friends, family and other associates when they had their lives so brutally taken from them without warning, and over five hundred were injured by the gunman.

This demonstrates one more time how fragile life can be. We say it all the time like a worn-out cliché, that we do not know which day will be our last. It is a truth that each of us should consider each day that we open our eyes, and commit to live our lives with a renewed sense of purpose. No one can predict something like this happening. Indications so far are that this massacre was well thought out and planned. The gunman was intent on carrying out his carnage, and causing mayhem to the maximum possibility, and he was able sadly to accomplish his plan. Some people believe that more gun laws are what we need, but it is foolhardy to think that the answers are simply creating more laws, without knowing all of the facts, and all of the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Politicians will shamelessly use these tragic events to gain traction, as they attempt to use it to move their agendas forward. Some of them have already begun to do this. We know that this is how they operate as we recall the words of one famous politician who once said to “never let a tragedy go to waste.” Instead of capitalizing on this atrocity to move political careers forward, it would be great if Americans take the time to be truly there for the people affected by this monstrous act, to offer comfort, to empathize, to provide a shoulder to lean on, and yes, to pray on their behalf. The surviving victims, their families, and friends will be most affected by this tragedy, but these incidents end up affecting us all. There are tough questions that we will have to ask ourselves, and in the end there may be no easy answers. The people who are already pretending to have the answers need to pause for a while, and reassess how they respond to incidents like this one. In the end this act may be nothing more than an act of pure evil. There is a bible verse that says that the heart of man is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Contrary to what many believe, human beings are not basically good. To our credit, in our society we have been civilized to the point where most of us strive to live good lives, and we do for the most part, but the fight to keep our baser proclivities at bay are a daily struggle. Some people simply choose not to battle these tendencies, or some just throw their hands up and give in to them after a while. Man is capable of unspeakable evil. When some people become hell bent on, and commit to carrying out evil, there is often nothing that anyone can do to stop it. That does not mean that we should not try, it simply means that the answers are not always as simple as some people make them out to be.

Those of us who today are still blessed to be in the land of the living should take a moment to be thankful for the blessing of life. Take the time to reflect on the things that are really important. Think about the things that we take for granted, the people closest to us, and who mean the most to us. Though in the aftermath of terrifying events like these it is difficult to make sense of life, it helps to think that God has a plan for each of our lives. He is willing to reveal it to all who seek after him. When we live into that plan, the time spent on this earth could be infinitely more meaningful, no matter how short. Take the time to appreciate life and the gifts that we have been given.