I'm not sure if you saw the news yesterday. There was a shooting at Fort Hood. A guy opened fire on post, and killed 12 people, and wounded 30+ others. Scary stuff. I was a mental health counselor in the Army, and this guy was a psychiatrist. He was at Ft. Hood, I was at Fort Hood. I was stationed there for 3 years. I know exactly where all of that stuff went down.
There are tons of layers to this story. Lots to talk about. Tons to wonder about, and very many questions.
At first glance, its easy to draw a connection to this man's religion and job and wonder where did both of those systems go wrong? Some may say he was crazy, and acted impulsively, but news reports state that he gave away a lot of stuff that morning to people in his apartment complex. What am I saying? Regardless of his job, his religion or his motives. He didn't trip and fall with a gun in his hand. He planned it.
At some point either yesterday or sometime before he planned on going down to the Army post, guns in hands and taking out his fellows soldier with whom he had served.
I'm in a tough spot here. He's a Muslim mental health professional who swore to defend all enemies both foreign and domestic. Put in charge of leading soldiers, caring for their emotions, and serving his country. How can I assimilate all of this info, and be true to the Lord, my country and myself?
It's not easy that's for sure. Here's what I can come up with- hurting people hurt people. Whether its bullets or words, people who are in emotional pain lash out and hurt people. You do it, and I do it. We hurt people. The difference is that we don't load up the minivan with Glocks and ammo and head out to the workplace.
I can't unravel his motives or his intentions. I don't know him. I wasn't there. I can guess and Monday morning quarterback the thing, but I can't say with any degree of certainty what was exactly going on.
I'm going to pray for the families of the fallen soldiers today. I'm going to pray for the shooters family. I'm lastly going to pray for him. I'm going to pray that the Lord will help me to forgive him, as He has forgiven me.
What do you think? Post some comments.
Be blessed.
matt
I was thinking about you and your history with Mental Health at Ft Hood when I heard about this. Thanks for sharing your thoughts... forgiveness can be a hard, powerful thing.
ReplyDeleteKyle
Hurting people hurt people. There is so much truth in that.
ReplyDeleteI am torn. I know I'm supposed to care about people and love on them. I am just glad it's not my job to judge him. For all I know he recovers completely and finds God in jail and is forgiven. I just know if I was God... I just keep thinking about those dead and injured. It is the worst thing to make it home from a war and then die on your own soil... Which is exactly what happened to these people....
ReplyDelete-Ryan
I am with Ryan, I am glad it is not my job to judge him. My thinking is that there were other avenues he could have taken that didn't involve killing other people. If he did not want to go to war then protest like Lt Aaron Watada did & get discharged. You are right Pastor Matt all we can do at this point is pray for the families of the fallen soldiers, the family of this shooter & for the shooter himself. I look at it this way, if we can not forgive then why should God forgive us. Dani
ReplyDeleteVery well put, Matt. I am torn myself, trying to add up having served as a mental health guy and now as a 1SG, and having to go to my Soldiers and answer questions that I believe have no answers. I hope the families of the victims can eventually come to peace with their loss. I also hope the family of the assassin will not be persecuted. They are as baffled as we are...
ReplyDeleteI am with you, Matt. I am torn between being a mental health counselor (which we were together) and the infantry Soldier I was and always will be...one part of me wishes the assassin could have been helped before this tragedy, the other part of me...well, that is ugly. I will be expected to answer questions here in Korea that the Soldiers of my company will pose and I'm not sure I have any answers. One of my best friends did her residency with the guy and says he accosted people way back then about THEIR religious beliefs, not the other way around...I don't know what to think. I will pray for the families of the victims, and, yes, for the family of the perpetrator in the hope that they will not endure hardship for his misdeeds. Take care, and thanks for your steady hand and calm demeanor, you influenced my Italian/Irish attitude (hot temper that comes on fast) so that I don't act before thinking-thanks for that...Rick
ReplyDeleteTo all of the above concerned prayfull people God bless you for your thought's and imput on trying to put words to why these things happen! I would like to share with you my thought's on this. When I was a child I remember twice when there were times I really wanted to do somthing I don't recall exactly what maybe spend the night at a friends or go somewhere and not be allowed to do so,but I do remember popping off to my parents and telling them that if I did not get to go that I was going to KILL myself! the first time I got away with it the second time I was taken down and had one of my first bible truths put on me and a good amount of conviction and FEAR of GOD established which has stuck with me for a life time! I was shown in the Bible where I was not my own! And in the comandments that thou shall not kill! and taking my self out was not an option this was the true word of GOD I was looking at and those truths have been with me all my life! Here's what I think #1 We sin because we no not GOD for if we knew GOD we would sin not!#2 Thou shalt not KILL!#3Love thy neighbore as thy self! #4Do unto others as you would have them do unto you! By now you know where I'm going with this ,this man did not know GOD,and was not a practicing christian.I do not hate the musilium people I comend them for their faithfullness in prayer, but I will have to say they miss the mark when it comes to the one true GOD! I'm sure the Army's training he had recieved was outstanding and first rate as far as special forces he was qualified to serve. The problem I see is that he was not redeemed or converted or inlightened or have an exsperience with christianity or incounter with JESUS! These commandments and truths to live by are given with an annointing that comes only from GOD that allows us power by faith to overcome our flesh and the convictions toward these acts knowing that will will answer to GOD should bring enough FEAR of the LORD to deliver us,it has always been easier to hate somthing you don't understand than to try and Love and understand it, so that you might be able to help them!I have always desired the annoiting of GOD more so than remembrance of scripture I know we are to hide the word in our hearts, and it is important to know the word, what I am saying when you pray with the annoiting of God and they feel somthing they have never felt before it is an exsperience they cannot deny! I wish this man would have had that,and maybe this could have been avoided.And in light of this tragedy our GOD will make good of what the enemy meant for evil!P.S. This would serve as a good wake up call not only for our military security but each of us also!Where are we going,and with whom are we with,and what do those we are with BELIEVE!! Your Brother in Christ Jesus Mark a workman not ashamed of the gospel which we preach for it is the POWER of GOD unto salvation unto those that believe!
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