Rahm Emmanuel spoke these words, then explained that using a crisis or tragedy allows you to “do things you could not do before.” As with most quotes, or points of view, it is not in and of itself wrong or evil. A hurricane in southern Texas or Louisiana can show that you truly do need to change how you fortify coastal cities, how to ensure that drainage is up to the job of fighting floods, and more. An issue with a power grid during a long stretch of inclement weather can show that more backups are needed. Often those two things are seen as “worry warts just wanting to spend money” but if you face a hurricane or long period without electricity, you then see they weren’t just worrying about nothing.
Sadly, these are rarely what is done with this line of thought, rather, those who seek power only for power’s sake use a tragedy or crisis use them to further seize power, to further their already acquired power. Uvalde faced a horrible situation on 24th May 2022. A madman with a firearm invaded a school with no ability to stop him or fight him off, and committed the ultimate evil, taking innocent lives. Within hours, politicians and those who are seeking high office were demanding that those who have broken no law, who have committed no evil, be punished, and they refuse, as they live and work behind fortified walls/fences, guarded by men with advanced firearms, to see that disarming the law abiding will only create more victims.
Police refused to enter, and they now use this to say “see, the good guy with a gun theory is useless” as they ignore that a US Border Patrol agent heard from his wife, left a barber shop after the owner gave him a shotgun, drove the school, entered, and stopped the attack. White Settlement saw a church invaded by a gunman that was quickly stopped by an armed attendee of the service. Sutherland Springs saw an armed citizen outside that church engage the shooter, driving him off. Just after Uvalde, a gunman tried to attack a large gathering, only to be stopped by an armed woman. The politicians using the tragedy to demand subservience from Americans either ignore these events, or decry them as “vigilantism” and soon will demand the arrest and imprisonment of those who, while legally armed, stop a criminal from killing all they can.
Not long ago, I coined a phrase, as I am not a pastor, I am the Sheepdog, HE is the Shepherd. That is truly how I see my relationship with Christ, HE is the Shepherd, and I am His Sheepdog, by his side, but ready to defend the flock as best I can. I once worked as a detention officer, but quickly found that job is not for me, then shortly after leaving that job, I joined my local Volunteer Fire Department, and the few years there before an injury and a move meant I could no longer serve actively. In both of those jobs, I stood between society and people or other things that could cause harm. I stood the line as best I could, only to watch as the media, citizens with another platform, and politicians began decrying Police and Firefighters as “toxicly masculine” and demanding they be seen as racist, or sexist, or some other “ist.”
The world is becoming darker every day, Satan is working overtime to corrupt all he can, ensuring he is as unalone in Hell as possible. He knows he cannot win, he knows he will end up in hell, and he is determined to deny the glory of Heaven, something he has first hand knowledge of from before he rebelled, to all he can. He has deceived millions into thinking there is no Heaven or Hell, that this life is all there is, that they will not be punished for sin. He has used religious leaders and politicians for centuries to spread his message, until today we have Christian leaders advocating for other faiths as being “just as valid” as Christianity. Christ himself said “I am the way, the truth, and the light. No one comes to the Father but through me.”
I will not hide my faith, I will not apologize for my faith, and I will not deny my faith. I am the Sheepdog, Christ is the Shepherd, I will spread His gospel, I will give my last breath spreading his message, and until that day, I will also stand between those who are targeted and those targeting them. If this means I stand alone, so be it, as I would rather be judged by the world, ostracized, called every name in the book, than to meet the Creator God at His throne and be told to depart as He never knew me.