Healing the Hokie Nation
For years I’ve joked with Virginia Tech students, alums, and parents that Tech
was a cult. When you join the cult you cover yourself in ‘Tech’ apparel,
decorate your home and property, accessorize your car, and even dress up your
dog in Hokie stuff. I’ll drop this joke in respect to the real Hokie Nation.
The shared identity among Hokies is a wonderful sense of community. It’s
a strength. It’ll comfort as much as human comfort consoles. But, being
‘Tech’ won’t heal the Hokie Nation.
The massacre at Virginia Tech is too terrible. It will never stop being
beyond awful. I makes me pause periodically as I merely write about it. It’s
painful. Wrong. Tragic. Evil. It’s real.
Virginia, America and much of the World mourn with the families and
friends of victims – and the extended family of the Hokie Nation. Now is the
time to grieve. Then, heal.
Set aside the political issues of gun control vs. crime control for
awhile. There will be plenty of time later to argue.
Grieving is the natural expression of lovingkindness. Lovingkindness is
my favorite word in the Holy Bible. Lovingkindness is the nature of God.
Lovingkindness always triumphs in the human hearts touched by tragedy.
Although, I must say I can’t see ever healing if I had lost one of my
children in their college classroom.
So, the anguished questions and accusations to a just and loving God come
readily. Why isn’t this horror prevented? Why isn’t this horror stopped? Why
aren’t the innocent spared from such injustice, suffering and loss of life?
Because evil exists. Evil will exist until the end times of Earth. Evil
can’t be avoided in life – not completely. Evil exists in God’s permissive
will. Evil is fixed in His explicit will and acts. Evil deeds can spring
from mental illness – stark madness. The acts remain evil, regardless of the
cause.
Evil lives around us. It hurts every bit as much – it just has a lower
daily body count.
Look at what evil has happened in twenty years where I live – in a
wonderful, little town in Virginia.
Once, two blocks away, a man and woman were divorcing. The man
killed the woman and her new boyfriend.
Once, two houses away, the sweet ‘band’ kid wanted to be with the
cool kids in his first year of college. He died of a drug overdose. No
one was ever punished. He came from a devoutly Christian, loving home.
Once, an alcoholic father of one of my children’s friends died
young. Only a handful of people honored his family by sharing his
mourning.
Once, a troubled boy became a troubled young man. He was imprisoned
for what he did in his involvement with a much older woman. His mother
intervened illegally and was put in jail. He killed himself in jail.
Many times, young to middle-aged men went to war zones where evil
thrives.
Many times, families were broken – with every heart wounded – by
divorce, drugs, alcohol, mental illness and early, diseased death.
There were three children who died from accidents and one who
stopped developing as a little girl and then digressed unto death. None
of this pain is the result of evil, but the suffering and loss are
similar.
There are other tragedies from my little town with people I don’t know by
name or sight. Is the sum of this pain equal to the 33 deaths at Tech? I
include the killer’s family in the suffering count. Is this different from
the Hokie Nation?
Virginia and America suffers from evil as Tech suffers from evil. We are
the Hokie Nation. Our healing is the same.
There’s been healing, imperfectly, in my corner of the Commonwealth. The
best medicine for my neighbors is the best healing for the Hokie Nation. The
healing comes with the one called The Comforter, the ‘paraclete’, in the
Holy Ghost. Part of God, Who is Spirit, is physically present in human
beings who profess faith and have a relationship with the risen Jesus – the
God-in-man who is alive in Heaven.
The Comforter physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually holds
humans in lovingkindness. A person in this relationship, a Christian, gains
a peace beyond understanding and a joy that knows now bounds.
Because Jesus lives, risen from the grave, we can face tomorrow. His
Comforter helps today. He promises a tomorrow that never ends in a place
with no tears, where the saved victims of injustice on Earth are washed in
lovingkindness beyond the best on Earth, even the love of parents, spouse,
children, kin and closest friends.
Grieve. Mourn. Hate evil. Love God. Love others. Love yourself. Heal the
Hokie Nation, our American Nation, with the balm that God will provide. God
is good. All the time. No matter what.
James Atticus Bowden
