REACHING OUT

My silence culminated when I heard of the senseless shooting at a local fitness center, but the words have been formulating in my head the day Michael Jackson died. One George Sodini lived a painfully lonely life. His inability to connect with women was evident throughout his online writings. On August 4th, the signs of his torment played out in calculated fashion. When he finally carried out his misogynistic tirade, he open fired on an aerobics class killing three women and wounding nine others. As a final outcry, George Sodini turned his rage upon himself. The result: a self-inflicted gunshot to the temple.

Based on the articles that followed, a haunting tale began to unfold. This man lived a relatively stable life. He attended church, albeit for a very brief time. He held a long-term position with a company. He had no prior criminal record, no history of mental health treatment. To the community, he appeared to be a model citizen. But appearances aren’t everything, are they? The reality was George Sodini’s life was falling apart. And as the authorities and media are left to make sense of the pieces, I wonder who crossed paths with this tortured soul? Who made themselves available over the years to lend words of encouragement and support? There’s always a reason leading to an act, an antecedent preceding a behavior. And with great sorrow I ask, “who reached out?”

Michael Jackson: Along with the rest of the world, I was shocked to hear of his tragic demise. While others were trying to make sense of his death, that same question gnawed away as I reflected on his life and the death of George Sodini – “who reached out?” There seemed to have been a desperate need for acceptance despite the divergent paths they took to obtain it. One man living life in the spotlight; another one living life in the shadows. And yet, as their torment weaved through the lives of friends, family and strangers, who was there to extend a helping hand, well-meaning advice or even loving correction? The unadorned emperor may have sashayed down the streets of his kingdom to the approving gaze of his subjects, but it took one child to speak the truth without fear of the consequences.

As believers, we are called to be imitators of Christ. He set the tone for reaching out to the least, the last and the lost. All we have to do is follow God’s lead. As he made connections with a Samaritan woman at the well, a Roman centurian, a woman caught in adultery, and outcast from all walks of life, we learned that some accepted his genuine gestures and some did not. But it never prevented him from reaching out and making a difference. And those who did accept his gestures were never the same moving forward. We know it’s too late for George Sodini or Michael Jackson, but it’s never too late to reach out to those in need of a friend, in need of truth, in need of acceptance.

I once read the story of a young man standing along the shore throwing starfish back into the sea. When a wandering stranger confronted this young man, he became annoyed by what he believed to be a futile gesture on the young man’s part. He approached him and asked, “Why are you doing this? Your attempts won’t make a difference.” The young man stopped for just a moment, looked down at the starfish in his hand and said, “It will to this one!” and continued his quest. It only takes one to reach one. We have been created by God to make a difference. We don't have to be silent anymore because we can make a difference when we learn to reach out!