Dexter Iowa Community Site

Consider this quote from Abe Lincoln

"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."

     Living in the age of instant technology is a heavy burden for many of us. The instant access to news from around the globe provides each of us a place in a much larger community than our parents and grandparents. Not only do we focus on what happens here at home, but also we all share in the events of the world as a whole.

     September 11^th brought the first real time national tragedy that we all could sit and watch as events unfolded, although for many of us, the explosion of the Space Shuttle when we were in school was nearly as traumatic. This past Friday our nation was gripped with another tragic moment as we first learned of the murder of six and seven year old children in an elementary school in Connecticut.

     I purposely tried to shy away from the television coverage, knowing full well that if I didn’t I would end up transfixed the entire weekend sitting in front of the television in a dazed state. How could this have occurred and more importantly why did it affect me in the way it did? I certainly didn’t know any of the victims or their families, and the closest friend I have to that area lives in Rhode Island, but something about the age of the victims, and the fact that I am a parent made my blood boil a bit.

     Over the next few weeks we will hear the politicians make this tragic event into the spin machines and start a debate about gun control. Now while I am in no way advocating that people need assault weapons, the larger problem here is a conversation that needs to happen first. We need to start talking openly and frankly about mental illnesses. I’m not simply talking about the major issues, but let’s get honest about it…from depression, to PTSD to mental illnesses that take our family and friends hostage, the time to speak out is now.

     No longer should we speak about it in hushed tones as though it is somehow like a communicable disease that will destroy mankind. No one should be ashamed to go to their doctor and speak openly and frankly about their health…both physical and mental. There are so many who suffer every day. Some have that lonely, tired, no motivation to get out of bed feeling and some are locked away in their own minds, playing intricate games in the cobwebs there with no real acknowledgment of the outside world.

     I was listening to Billy Graham the other day and he was talking about things that drive us to our knees. In addressing those times in life when we loose all hope, he said that each of us would find ourselves driven to our knees. To that point where we can no longer deal with things on our own. Each of us will find that place; it is only a matter of time.

     There are those who frown on anyone who is brave enough to stand up and say, “ I have a problem and I can’t fix it on my own.” Why do we shun these people? Why aren’t we as a society willing to help them in any way we can? The time for the discussion is now and it needs to happen. If you are reading this and think that mental health issues do not affect you, let me just pass along that it is more prevalent that you thought, and by sticking your head in the sand and pretending it doesn’t exist you are part of the problem.

     And while we are having that discussion, how about discussing putting God back into schools. You and I are doing a horrible job raising our children if we don’t take them to Sunday school, to church, and discussing with them the reasons for our faith in our creator. Perhaps by having a frank discussion about mental illness and bringing our faith back to the forefront we can end the repetition of tragic events like this.

     No matter how many guns we ban, or how much ammunition you put into a clip, laws only work for the lawful that follow them. Criminals, and those who allow evil to dwell within themselves will continue to ignore the laws. Just maybe though, you and I can create a change by allowing those who need help to find it, and reminding them that there is salvation to be had in the Grace of God.

See you next week….remember, we’re all in this together.