Purification

 May 20, 2023

“What the world has come to, that a church should need a security team!” So my friend Clark commented when I told him I wouldn’t be able to be at a reunion of some old friends from our Sinclairville Writers’ Circle. He is right; it’s a sad commentary on the state of our modern society when churches have become common targets for people with evil intent. But that’s the world we live in and for which I trained today.

It’s been a long and tiring day, learning about handling threats to churches, specifically active shooter events. We listened to statistics and instruction, watched graphic videos, and participated in active drills.

Now it’s evening, and something inside me is not right. I feel restless, even though we weren’t put in high stress simulations. It’s no wonder being in law enforcement these days takes such a high toll on marriages, families, and results in such a high suicide rate among policemen and women. I can’t imaging the PTSD our law enforcement experience, much less that of soldiers returning home from multiple deployments.

Numbers 31:19-24 details the purification rituals for soldiers returning from battle more than 3,000 years ago. There was, and remains the need for soul-cleansing when one has been plunged into the darkness and defilement of violence. If I felt it after a single day of rather low-stress training, how much more after an actual violent encounter? Counseling has become standard for law enforcement, but I wonder about the cleansing of the soul as well as the healing of the mind and emotions.

So my prayer tonight is for those who deal with the defilement of violence and human depravity on a daily basis: 

“Lord Jesus, as the victim of violence yourself, your words, “Father, forgive them,” are what we need. Only the cleansing of your blood can wash away the stain of our guilt  even if our violence was necessary to protect the innocents you have entrusted into our care. May your healing balm soothe the ragged wounds of our hearts, and may your love bring peace to troubled minds; in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.”