I haven't had words to process what happened in Texas this week. The thought of my baby boy going off to school one day and not coming back makes me want to hold him and never let go.

It feels like everyone is talking about gun control legislation in response to recent events. I get it. We want to do something to make sure this doesn't ever happen again. We want to have some resemblance of control to protect our families.

Some conservatives are using the existence of evil - that people kill people, not guns - as a reason not to pass gun laws. Meanwhile, the other side uses every mass shooting to renew support for gun control.

Will laws limiting access to guns decrease school shootings? Based on legislation in other countries, yes, probably.

But will these laws eliminate mass shootings completely? No, because there will always be evil on this side of eternity, and if someone is committed to doing harm, they’ll find a way, no matter the obstacles in their way.

So, what do we do as Christians? As mamas? How do we reconcile all the headlines and competing opinions in a broken world? What side should we be on? How do we respond? What do we do now?

We'll find peace and refuge only in His presence

The Bible is full of tragic and violent events, some of which even happened to God's beloved people, because God allowed it so. That alone has made many people leave their faith because how can a good God allow such evil things to happen to innocent bystanders?

I could give you the theological answer, but I won't, because if you're seeking answers from secondary sources, it won't root you to withstand the competing voices in this world. If you want to read something about this issue though, I recommend this blog post by Phylicia Masonheimer.

We need to take what we're feeling - all the heaviness and the questions and the fear - to the throne of God. If you read those tragic stories in the Bible, you'll see that's where God's people found refuge: when they turned to Him. When the psalmist in Psalm 73 looked at the wickedness around him, he was confused. It almost caused him to stumble to see the wicked prosper and the innocent suffer:

"But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end." -Psalm 73: 16-17

It is in His presence that we find answers to the questions and fears that we wrestle with the most. We may not fully understand it all on this side of heaven, after all, we are human and He is God, but in seeking answers from the right Source, we will be comforted, we will find peace, and we will know which way to go.

Of this world but not in this world

If, after you've prayed and sought God in this, you feel a burden to do something about this, then call your legislators and speak up for them to pass gun control laws. God put laws and authority in place for just this reason (Romans 13:1-14). But no law or politician will be our Savior - they won't ever fully keep us or our children safe from harm; they won't eliminate evil or give us lasting peace. They have their place in this world, but we are ultimately not of this world, that is why we first go to God before we go to men for anything.

Here are a few resources to get you started if you want to do something about this from a political perspective:

Here are the bills most recently introduced on this issue and making their way through Congress: The Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021 (HR 8) and Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021 (HR 1446). If you're researching what these bills are all about (which you should before you post about it on social media or call your legislators!), make sure you're learning from primary sources like the bill summaries I linked above or you can also learn more by visiting the websites of the legislators who introduced the bills. For example, HR 1446 was introduced by Rep. James Clyburn, and he has this summary available on his website.
Find your representatives here. Here is a script you can leverage if you want to call your reps to support gun control legislation: "Hello, my name is [NAME]. I'm a constituent from [YOUR STATE AND ZIP CODE]. I don't need a response. I am calling to ask Senator / Representative [NAME] to vote for and support the passage of the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021, HR 8 and the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021, HR 1446. Thank you!"

But remember, as Christians, we are in this world, but not of this world, and although the church’s call is global, our individual calling is local, first and foremost. Read more about this here.

We raise up our children to walk with God.

In these shootings, we mourn the lives of the victims, but few acknowledge that the shooter is someone else’s child too. No one wakes up one morning and randomly decides to take innocent lives. They got to that point gradually, and often shaped by warped ideologies and the things they read or heard and grew to believe to the point of death.

For example, this article talks about four commonalities among perpetrators of mass shootings, which includes experiencing early childhood trauma and exposure to violence at young age, having a crisis point in the weeks or months leading up to the shooting, studying other mass shootings, and having the means to carry out their plans.

This Instagram post has another list of commonalities which includes violent video games which decrease empathy and increase shooting accuracy, social media that makes everyone else's life look amazing and yours look terrible, extreme politics, nutrient deficiencies that drive brain disfunction, and lack of purpose in life.

Regardless of what side of the gun a child or an adult finds themselves at, it all starts at home. As women, we are called to be the keepers of our home. We’re the ones who stand guard to what our children see, hear, read, and who they become. As mothers, we are entrusted with the responsibility to raise up children that we can send out into the world without fear that if they were taken from us today, they would be with us in eternity because by the grace of God, we have set them on the right path.

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. -Proverbs 22:6

Let's instill God's word into our children. Monitor what they're reading/watching/listening to. Know who their friends are. Recognize that their beliefs - political, social and religious - are being shaped by what you're saying, watching, reading, sharing on social media, but also by the media, their friends, celebrities and online influencers.

Ladies, if we're spending more time on our phones and looking at screens than we are discipling the small souls entrusted to us, that is the real tragedy. Political and social activism is secondary. We as parents are the primary shapers of the next generation - or at least we should be.

Because the biggest responsibility I have as a mother is to make sure my child gets to heaven, and that he walks on the narrow way of Truth all days of his life, no matter the age at which God calls him home. I want to be able to tell God that I did everything I could with what and who He has entrusted me with, regardless of what is happening in the world around me.

I'm going to end it with the words of the psalmist who found himself in a similar situation and this was his conclusion:

“Nevertheless, I am continually with You; You hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to You. But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works.” -Psalm‬ ‭73:23-28‬ ‭ESV‬‬