Bad News

I didn't used to read, or listen to, or watch the news at all. It was too sad. Since I started working at The Seattle Times I've been reading the news a lot. It was fun to become more informed politically before the election. But now it seems all the news is bad. And I'm not talking about all of the lay offs. Yes thats bad but its not the end of a persons life. Now every day I open up seattletimes.com and look for the next tragedy. The day I read about the father in California who killed first his kids and wife and then himself, I thought, I can't do this anymore. I can't continue to read these stories about people's lives ending without it breaking my heart and making me cry. But I also realized something positive. When I hurt for someone I don't know the only thing I can do to help is to pray. I have made it a habit to pray for the people involved whenever I hear a ambulance. Now I want to make it a habit to pray for all the families and friends of the lost lives I read about in the news. I know that the death and crime rates are only going to get worse the longer the economy sinks. And when I think about that I wonder how many more lives will be taken knowing many of us have very little experience with death, especially of someone close to us. Instead of numbers and curves and patterns I want to make this economic downturn God's moment. He is the only one that can shine light in the darkest of places. He alone can lift us from the murky shadows of depression and hopelessness. We might lose our job, our house, our car, our child, our mom; but we will never loose Him because He is holding on to us. I want to take this moment and remember I have hope to share. Hope to share with those I know and prayer for those I only read about.