I missed our block club meeting on Monday night, so when I saw Lauren the next day I asked her what had been discussed. She gave me the update on police activity over the past few weeks, and it turns out that they did finally catch the two guys who were raping and robbing women on our street. While I felt this huge sense of relief hearing the news, it was also devastating to learn that it was a pair of kids, sixteen-year-old gang members, targeting the moms and grandmas of our neighborhood. My stomach still feels sick over this.
She also shared that there had been a pretty major bust within one of the local gangs with something like twelve or eighteen arrests. That would explain the flurry of police activity we have been seeing during the recent weeks. “Things should be quiet now…at least for a while,” was the word from our Lead Officer. As I write this, a helicopter circles overhead.
And so it goes.
This post reminds me of the lamenting voice the prophets provided to Israel. It is still as needed today as it was then. God invites us to lament with him as he sees the brokeness of his creation.
Yes, Scott. That is exactly how my spirit feels right now. One of my favorite seminary assignments was writing a lament. I think maybe I will do that today-it seems like the right thing to do.