An elderly lady had finished her shopping, and upon returning to her car, found four young men in the act of getting into the vehicle. She dropped her shopping bags, drew a pistol from her purse, and shouted, "I have a gun, and I know how to use it! Now get out of that car!" The four men got out and ran like the wind. The lady, somewhat shaken, loaded her shopping bags into the back seat and tried to insert her keys in the ignition. She tried and tried, but couldn't, and then realized why. A few minutes later, she found her own car parked four or five spaces farther down. She had been trying to get in the wrong one! She drove to the police station, and told the sergeant, who pointed to another room where four pale young men were reporting a car jacking by a crazy old woman carrying a large handgun. Fortunately, no charges were filed.
Great story, but it also tells us something about how we see the world. If we are expecting bad things, we will see bad things. If we are fearful of life, life will frighten us. Fear can cause us to see, say and do things that may be out of step with the truth. That lady was prepared for the worst, so she saw the worst. She also did not see her own actions as being wrong, as least not at first.
I've always been a supporter of Second Amendment rights. Recently Arizona became the only state in the union where a person can carry a concealed firearm without any sort of permit or registration. About the only thing this new law requires is that the gun owner tell police that (s)he is carrying a weapon if stopped. We hope this new law will help the citizens of Arizona, since we're in the midst of huge drug and illegal immigration problems.
I do think, however, that guns don't belong in church, a trend I've been hearing about recently. Perhaps a large church might believe it needs to train and arm some of its staff, but common sense must prevail. A house of God needs honor and respect and I'm not sure having firearm there is appropriate. Those who have a firearm at home should make sure the young or uninstructed can't get their hands on it. Every freedom or privilege comes with responsibility, and common sense needs to prevail.
I once preached a sermon entitled, "Just Because You Can, Doesn't Mean You Should." It was based on 1 Corinthians 6:13, where St. Paul wrote, "Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial." Many people today believe that any freedom can be exercised anywhere, but no freedom is absolute. Our freedoms must be treasured and protected, but they must also be exercised for the good of all, not just one person's preference.
"Be careful that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak." (1 Cor. 8:9)
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