Friends or Enemies?
At 38 years old, Navy Seal Chris Kyle was among the military’s most accomplished sharpshooters. He had become a best-selling author by writing about his time in combat.
Kyle spent much of his time working with ailing vets…especially those struggling with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. So when Jodi Routh reached out to Kyle to help her 25-year-old ex-marine son, Eddie Ray Routh, who was having a hard time adjusting, Kyle was more than willing to help. Besides, they had a connection. Both had attended the same high school, 14 years apart, in the Dallas suburb of Midlothian, TX.
On February 2, Kyle took Routh and his friend Chad Littlefield to a gun range in Glen Rose, TX. All military men loved the opportunity to go to a gun range with the famous Chris Kyle. But the day turned tragic when the troubled Routh turned his gun on Kyle and Littlefield, shot them dead and drove off in Kyle’s truck.
Kyle had survived four tours in Iraq. That day in Texas there weren’t supposed to be any enemies. But the day turned tragic.
When I read that story, I thought about Christians. How many people were not in church this weekend because of people who were? How many people who serve others are hurt in the process?
We are broken people. We all need help, and we all need help others. The community of believers is not supposed to be a hostile arena.
- What has been your church experience?
- Have you been hurt serving others?
- Have you been hurt by others?
- Have you felt rejected by the church community? Why?