“Suspect Charged – Nicholas Cruz faces 17 counts of premeditated murder.”
In the aftermath of the Valentine’s Day slayings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in South Florida, an astounded nation wakes up to read the shocking details on another mass shooter. Once again, a troubled teen’s warning signs are not caught in time to avoid tragedy. The most unsettling fact in this case, however, is that Cruz did not fly under the radar, unnoticed by authorities, the school, peers and neighbors. On the contrary, his angry and troubled mind was displayed in live colors for anyone to see.
As political leaders and a grieving community once again discuss issues such as gun control and how to better protect public establishments from future threats, investigators are piecing together the profile of a very public statement sent by the suspect through social media, the school and his neighborhood.
Indeed, something terribly sinister lingered over Cruz, everywhere you look. His now deleted Instagram posts contained pictures of handguns and assault rifles and violence against animals. Students are quoted saying they thought Cruz would be one to attempt something against the school. He was known for shooting chickens in a neighbor’s yard and throwing eggs at another neighbor’s car as she drove by.
The 19-year-old was a ticking time bomb ready to go off at any time.
Cruz had issues. Terribly dark issues. And he did not keep them hidden from anyone. It was all over social media and in his behavior. Yet, it seems as if not enough was done to stop him from acting on his threats.
Did people not believe him?
Did some choose to ignore it?
Did they look, but not see?
Or are we so desensitized as a society to violence, promiscuity and pain, that we easily look over the pictures on social media and move on to the next post?
Isn’t that a larger issue we face as a society these days? The fact that we are so busy with our own lives, that we do not make time to pay attention to our kids, often missing signs of depression or a troubled mind. Or we may be so used to seeing darkness, that it has become difficult to separate fantasy from reality. Indeed, God may be shining a spotlight on warning signs right under our nose, even in our own homes, and yet, we do not stop to pay attention.
Tragedies such as the Valentine’s Day shooting bring the old question boiling to the surface of many skeptical minds: “Where is God when tragedy strikes?” Click To TweetThe question is posed because many do not understand that we live in a fallen, sin-filled world, one that will always be full of tragedy and pain. And every time it happens, God grieves, together with his creation.
He is grieving, hurting with every tear shed by the mom who now looks at her child’s lifeless body, wondering if she told her daughter that she loved her one last time. He is holding that dad, who is searching for answers in the midst of his anger and pain. He was close to that assistant coach, the unforgettable hero who used his body as a shield to protect his students, paying the ultimate sacrifice with unbelievable valor and courage.
And he is calling us, as a society, to pay attention to the pain and warning signs that may be right in front of us.
Yes, we must pray for wisdom for our leaders and for protection for our public places. But you and I also must learn to open our eyes. We must teach our children to be aware of their surroundings and not be afraid to speak out. We must teach them not to ever dismiss signs of despair or violence among their friends, and not ever to keep such warnings to themselves.
May God guide us as a nation, not to use this senseless tragedy as a mere political soapbox, but rather to help us become wiser and more sensitive to the environments around us. Click To TweetMay God comfort the families and friends of the victims, and help the Parkland community heal.
This article was originally published on Patricia’s column for The Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC) on Saturday – February 17, 2018.
Such a powerful commentary, Patricia. I definitely have to share this.
Blessings!
Sometimes I think most people are so preoccupied in their own little world that they don’t see what is really happening around them. If you have ever been involved with someone who is troubled you know how hard it is to confront them. And even harder as a parent to deal with anxiety, anger, depression in your child. But deal we must. As parents, teachers, coaches, friends and neighbors we are all responsible for opening our eyes and our mouths. Don’t be afraid to speak up!
Beautiful post, Patricia. Thank you for reminding us of how to love like our Savior.
I feel bad for the family that took him in. Clearly they recognized a need and clearly he was good at keeping the sinister side of himself undercover.
What is the solution once we recognize the signs – tough love, hugs? Can all be saved? I don’t know.
I understand how the couple could miss that they had a person in their home that had problems. We adopted a 12 year old and I have long questioned whether the state lied to us or whether the case workers didn’t know the kid they were dealing with. This couple had no knowledge of the extent of any past problems.
My gut feelings said not to go through with the adoption. My wife talked me into it. Years later she told me she wished she had listened to me. It took me 5 years to realize how slick he was of playing my wife and me against each other. When I voiced it, my wife stopped responding as she had and within days we put him into a mental hospital. During this time he had problems at school and what happened to him was never his fault, according to him. The doctors at the mental hospital realized, after 3 weeks, that he was playing games with them. However, it only took less than 30 minutes for an alcoholic to nail him in a group session the first night at the hospital.
Fortunately our daughter overheard him planning a party over Mother’s Day weekend while were going see my mother out of state. He was going to break into my gun cabinet, have booze (stolen by a person he met at the mental hospital) have porn movies, and invite a couple of the teenage neighbor girls, and you can imagine the rest. We left for my mother’s but left our son and daughter at home. That weekend he got picked up by county officers and the car he was driving was impounded. At this point we showed him the door. We continued to try to help him by paying half his rent as long as he went to a night high school. We even gave him a car. When we learned he had quit school and lied about it, we pulled the plug totally.
We were fortunate that our daughter overheard the call and that our good name was not marred. We tried to everything we could to help him but he wanted to play games, lying when he did not need to lie. Fortunately our kids called a friend we went to church with at 3:30 am on a Sunday morning and she came over and helped them deal with a drunk. It depends on the individual whether hugs or tough love is required. Sometimes you have to use the rod.
May God be with all those affected by the situation. The couple will always wonder what they could have done that would have saved the lives at the school.