“What We Need Are Heart Monitors…”

Meditation on Genesis 41:14-40  

    The winter morning started out beautiful and clear, sunlight reflecting off snow. People did what they do every day.

     Students and faculty arrived as they normally do –by bus or car—at Chardon High School, in a wealthy suburb of Cleveland.

      Everything went as usual, that is, until a boy walked into the cafeteria where students waited for the first bell, releasing them to their first period classes. 

      Up to that point, the quiet boy had been successful at hiding his anger and pain. The boy, T.J. Lane, lived in a home fractured by domestic violence.

      But on Monday he pulled out a gun and started shooting. He wounded 5 students; 3 have died.

     The horrible, senseless violence in the Ohio school brought back memories, fear, and grief for those who were at Columbine High School near Littleton, Colorado, in 1999.  One day in April that year, two high school seniors walked in with guns, killed 13 people, and wounded 20 more, before turning the guns on themselves.

      Though nearly 13 years have passed, principal Frank DeAngelis says they are feeling the trauma all over again after hearing what happened at Chardon.

      This senseless act of violence, like so many other tragedies that steal the lives of innocent people, cause some to question their faith. They ask where was our loving, Providential God when children were killing children?  And how can God possibly use all this evil to accomplish His good purposes? 

     The story of Joseph addresses this theme of God using for good what human beings intend for evil. We read how the Lord uses Joseph’s personal misfortunes and suffering to move him to the place where God can use him to accomplish a dramatic rescue of all Egypt and the people of Israel.

     At 17, Joseph’s jealous half brothers throw him in a pit in the wilderness and leave him to die. Their father, Jacob, loves Joseph more than all the other children. He lavishes attention on him, giving him a special long tunic.

     Traders discover Joseph in the pit and take him to Egypt; they sell him into slavery.  Joseph becomes a servant to a high official and things seem to be going better.  But then he refuses to return the advances of the official’s wife and she falsely accuses him; he ends up in jail. While he is there, he reveals his God-given ability by correctly interpreting the dreams of two cellmates, the Pharaoh’s baker and cupbearer. 

     In today’s reading, Pharaoh has 2 disturbing dreams that no one can figure out. The cupbearer, who had been released from prison, remembers Joseph’s uncanny ability.

     Then Joseph, with God’s help, interprets Pharaoh’s dreams, predicting a terrible famine.  He advises Pharaoh how Egypt can avoid starvation by storing away the excess grain in the “fat” years so they will have enough food in the “lean” years. Pharaoh elevates Joseph to second in his kingdom so he can oversee the storage and distribution of all the grain, placing him in the position to save many lives, including his own family, the people of Israel.

     Maybe this is the hard part of the story to accept as we seek to apply this scripture to our lives. The Lord actually gave Joseph trials and suffering, along with spiritual gifts, to accomplish God’s Will and to transform Joseph’s character from an arrogant, spoiled teen to a man of humility, gratitude and compassion. At the end of his story, Joseph is finally able to forgive and reconcile with those who hurt him.  

     This is what God intends for us. He seeks to open our eyes to the miracles in our lives, to what He is doing in and through us.  He wants to move us to gratitude and compassion. This means we will have trials and suffering, but we will also receive God’s gifts (spiritual and otherwise) that will help us bear the trials. God has promised to change our hard hearts and mold us into His Son’s image, so we can forgive, let go of all the hurts we carry, and be instruments of His peace.

    After the tragedy of Chardon, journalists have sought answers from Frank De Angelis, the principal of Columbine High.  Frank says if any possible good could come from Columbine, he hopes it would be that we would learn how to prevent the tragedy of Columbine from happening again.

      People ask Frank, “What causes children to commit such violent acts?”  Is it guns? Bullies? Video games? Is it the music kids listen to?

    “Parents want answers,” Frank said.  “They want to feel safe. They want something to blame, but you can’t pinpoint one thing.”

      Frank said the real key to prevention of school violence isn’t metal detectors and surveillance cameras. He suggests that we put money and our efforts into programs that seek to help troubled kids and struggling families.

      He said, what we need are heart monitors to detect the brokenness in each other.

      This is something we all can grasp onto today!

      Many people in this world, children and adults, are hurting and need the presence of Christ in their lives.  They need you! This is what it means to live out God’s call and make disciples of the nations. Let God use you!

      When we reach out to someone and show we care about their pain, we bring God’s love and Christ’s peace to a broken world, one person at a time.

      The quiet boy who killed 3 at Chardon High on Monday is still alive, Frank points out. We can learn from him. We can learn his family history and find out what led him to sink into the despair that led him to do the unthinkable.

    Frank asks, “What causes so much pain that this kid wanted to (kill)?”

    Chardon, like Columbine High, will never be “normal” again—not like it was at the start of that beautiful clear morning, sun reflecting off snow.

   People did what they always do that day, without knowing a boy with a gun would walk into the cafeteria and their lives would be changed.          

    Healing can take a long time, Frank says. He offers this advice to the Chardon High School community: Get counseling.  Be vigilant. 

     And hold fast to your faith. 

Let us pray.  Lord forgive us for our anger at the tragedies that take place in this world, at the loss of innocent lives.  Turn our anger into passion for the gospel, for serving You by serving the world with compassion and love. Forgive us when we have failed to do what you call us to do and, instead, keep the Good News for our own families and friends, at the neglect of our neighbors. Lord, protect our children in schools from evil and temptation.  Help the communities of Chardon and Columbine high schools heal.  Show us how to prevent tragedies like this from happening again by reaching out to troubled children and broken families. In Christ we pray.  Amen.