Hello everyone. I had another blog planned for today but in light of this morning's news I wanted to write my thought about the tragedy in Las Vegas with a hope to encourage everyone.
My prayers are with the people of Las Vegas today. I have been to Las Vegas and never in a million years would I have thought something like this would have happened - something so cold and calculated, something so evil.
My prayers are with the families of both the injured victims and with those who have lost loved ones. My prayer is that God will comfort you in this dark time and show you how close He really is to you and yours. The rest of America is watching and we see you, we hurt with you. God see you, He hurts with you.
Why do people do things like this? I know we wonder when we hear of these things. I believe they are taken in by lies -the lie of false religion, the lie of perceived power, the list goes on. I also believe they are convinced they aren't doing anything wrong. The hearts of people can be easily swayed by lies and extremism. Darkness and evil posing as light. What they don't understand is the payoff is never as good as promised, in fact, there may be no real pay off at all. It's all part of the facade.
I know this might sound crazy but my prayer is for this woman who was with Stephen Paddock, if she in fact exists or helped him in any way. Stephen may have made his choice but you still have a choice. If you are reading this, turn yourself in. You are running from yourself, you are running from the lies you were told that led you to this horrible act. There is still hope for you but you will still have to face the consequences of your actions. Yes God even loves you, despite what you have done. Turn yourself in, face the consequences, repent and live. You have been duped by lies. There is a better way! God even loved Stephen, Stephen chose poorly but you don't have to! There is hope he did not know! Hopeless people do hopeless things.
I will continue to pray for everyone involved in the coming days, from family members to victims to law enforcement, fire, EMS staff and hospital staff. To law enforcement, fire, EMS and hospital staff I want to say thank you! To the families and victims, you are loved, we stand with you and are praying for you! God loves you all! He sees you!
Praying for His goodness,
Elizabeth