Words fail

If it were up to me to change
I’d turn “lies” and “hate” to “love” and “truth”
Kill A Word, Eric Church

Last night, as I watched the events in Dallas unfold via Twitter and news media, I found myself going to Facebook and starting to type a status update vocalizing my shock and sadness… only to ultimately delete it.

Words failed me.

I read other’s thoughts, clicking the like button here and there. I couldn’t even bring myself to leave a comment. Words just weren’t enough.

A recent sermon in church spoke to my heart (no pun intended), as the priest spoke on how, essentially, actions speak louder than words. Don’t just preach to love one another, actually do it. Try kindness instead of bullying. Actually reach out and help one another. Defend each other. Support each other. Love each other. Respect each other.

We no longer respect our differences. We no longer respect how similar we all are. You hurt. I hurt. We all hurt. Yes, there is evil in this world that I can’t wrap my mind around. There is evil I don’t WANT to understand. I want to counteract it with love and hope and faith that there is far more good in the world than that evil…

Tonight as I lay myself down to sleep, I will pray for peace for this world, but even more I will pray for strength for all of us to do something — SOMETHING — to make that peace a reality. It won’t happen over night, but  sometimes it takes only smallest action to have a huge effect in the long run.

Be a light in this world… not just in words but in action.