As of this writing, the death toll in Las Vegas stands at ‘over 50’ and the wounded toll is ‘over 400.’ We know what this means. All the bodies haven’t been sorted out yet and all the wounded haven’t all been accounted for. And some of those wounded will die. All the numbers will go up. The worse mass shooting in American history, perpetrated by a 64-year-old former accountant. They are saying right now that he had at least 10 rifles in his hotel room. Some will say that there needs to be more gun laws, but in the end, we will find that he broke a dozen existing laws anyway. How on earth do you get 10 high powered rifles, automatics at that, into a hotel room without attracting someone’s attention? Some will say that this shows we need prayer in school, but this fellow had prayer in school until he was at least in fifth grade. Some will say that abortion has so cheapened life that taking a life means nothing. But the shooter was an adult, probably in college, when abortions became legal. Some will say that it was politically motivated. Maybe it was, but the shooter was an accountant. Hard to imagine what the political motivation could be. Some will say that he just snapped. But it takes some forethought to get 10 rifles together, then get them into the right hotel room over-looking the venue you wish to attack and then sneak in all that ammunition. He didn’t just snap.

          So, what happened, what was the cause?

          We will never really know. He killed himself. My own thought is that he had spent a life time counting. Long hours with long lists of numbers. Probably made a pretty fair living, but life probably got to where it wasn’t worth living. At some point he likely came to the realization he was not going to leave anything behind to be remembered by. If you live out your life in frustration that begins to turn into anger, the logical conclusion if you decide to leave something behind is to make everyone pay for your misery. It wouldn’t be the first time such a thing has happened.

          But, that is just me talking. It may be discovered that he was a closet Muslim or that voices told him to do it or that he had a weird political motive. I don’t know. But, just looking at it on the surface right now, it is what I think. His family is shocked beyond words. No idea this was in the air. The police, as of this writing, are dismissing his lady friend as an accomplice. If she just knew about it before hand she would be an accomplice. But she is not. As I think on it now, the shooter was reaching for notoriety.    

          Yet, almost everyone is in that boat to some degree. Nationally, on average, once a person has been dead for five years, their grave site is visited by family two times a year. How many times have you gone to a funeral for someone in the same cemetery your grandparents are buried in and you have trouble locating their grave? It isn’t a lack of love, it is just that your lives continue on and life, as we all know, is a scramble. The death of someone is only really important for a generation. After that, it is forgotten. I loved my grandmother and I would enjoy going back to Grace Baptist Church’s cemetery in Russell Springs, Kentucky and finding her grave, but I would have no idea where her parents are. I never knew them and I have no reason to tramp through an old cemetery to find the grave. It is just not that important to me. In the overall span of time, none of us has great importance.

          In the end, what is it that gives us a reason for living? What is it that makes us important? Where is our legacy? Why don’t we all go out in a blaze of glory, or evil, as the case may be?   

          I was so important to God that He sent Jesus, His own Son, to be sacrificed in my place. Wow! I must really be loved! I was so important to Jesus that He willingly took my place on that cross. Man! I must be really special! How could I consider taking an innocent life when God loves me so much? But, what about my legacy? Well, there are a lot of people to whom I have shown the way of eternal life. Not all have accepted the love of the Lord, but many have. They have passed it on to their children, family and friends. That means that someday in heaven I will meet many people who are there, whom I had a hand in them knowing Christ as Savior. That is an important job! There will never be a statue built of me, there will never be books written about the life and times of Larry Wade and I know I will not be remembered very long after my funeral. But, I know my Savior thinks I am pretty important, I know that He has prepared for me a mansion in heaven and I know that I have made a long lasting, even eternal, impact here.

          We can pray for the wounded and we can pray for the families of all those affected. It seems like we do a lot of that now. We can wonder why such a thing happens. We can say, as John did at the end of the Book of the Revelation, ‘even so, Lord Jesus, come.’ But, we can also make our lives count for something. We can share the good news. We can work to make sure heaven will be a little more populated. If you do this, you need never think your life was a waste.

          Blessings.