Grieving With Those Who Grieve, No Matter Where They Are.

I did not wake up to see this on my newsfeed, although I suspect that if this had happened anywhere in the Europe or the States, that is all I would be hearing about.

So far, 40 dead, 100 injured. Three attacks in one day in 3 cities in Pakistan.

I know… “Oh, the Middle East,” one might think, “this happens all the time, doesn’t it? Aren’t they used to it?” It is easy to assume that this is “just” another bombing, as if this kind of violence is something one could every get used to.

But the families. The parents. The children. The heartache. The trauma. The grief.
This is something no one ever gets used to.

In the first attack, the terrorist targeted a police station with a car bomb. 12 were killed and 20 wounded. The blast was heard across the city of Quetta, shattering windows of buildings.

Later, as families were excitedly shopping for Eid, the last holiday before the end of Ramadan, two simultaneous bombs exploded. So far, reports indicate 24 were killed. I can’t imagine the grief, the trauma.

As evening came, another attack. This time 4 gunmen attacked police officers who were having dinner at a roadside restaurant. They killed all 4 before running away.

My heart breaks for these families. My stomach turns at the thought of the gruesomeness. I am angry at the injustice.

We were not made for violence. That’s why with every report of a heinous terrorist act, something in us is stirred to revolt, to fight against it, to cry out over the injustice.

A mother who loses a child feels the same despair, whether she is in Manchester, Portland, Baghdad, or Pakistan. We know this. We are stirred by the emotion and grief we see because it resonates with us, as parents, as students, as children, as fellow humans.

This we were created for. Relationship. Love. To stand against the injustices we see. To stand agaisnt violence. To support those who are hurt. To grieve with those that grieve.  Ultimately this is what will win over violence.

But we must be intentional.

We must redirect our righteous anger into determination to love no matter what.
We must be stubborn in our quest to fight injustice, stereotypes, and racism.
We must be persistent in overcoming evil with good.
And it starts right where you are.

With your family, your neighbors, your communities.
Love acts now. Love without agenda.