"Let go of your anger and your hate," advised the pastor at the funeral. Anger and hate are generally good things to let go of—unless we suspect that they might be justified. The funeral was for a victim of rape and murder. She was 9 years old. She was attacked by not one but two grown men. One of them was her stepfather. Might God be angry?
It was a tough gig for the pastor, no question. What does one say? Of course, fulsome praise for the deceased: Everybody at school loved her and she was always first to show up for youth activities at church. But the more praise heaped on the little girl, the more horrifying the crime against her. Something had to be said about that, and the man of God said it obliquely: "Many of you, if it was up to you, you'd organize a vigilante committee and go after [the perpetrators]. But we should remember that [she] is in a better place today that is full of love, joy, and peace. If we focus on the evil in the situation, guess what? Who gets the glory? Satan does."
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