Be the Hands and Feet of Jesus

September 18th, 2024

My hometown and alma mater were struck by tragedy on September 4, 2024.

Four lives were lost, and ten people were injured after a mass shooting occurred at the hands of a 14-year-old boy attending the high school. Within what felt like only a second in time, Apalachee High School staff and over 1,900 students were directly affected by mindless violence that seemingly could have been prevented.

This tragedy is now history. Lives were lost and radically changed.

The details of that day are everywhere online. Every news channel and Facebook page seemed to attempt to fill in the gaps and explain why this happened. Sadly, this grotesque event was already being politicized and monetized by the world within the same hour it occurred. Today, however, I don't want to speak about the details of that day or even try to explain “why” it happened. Instead, I would like to shine a light on how I witnessed the Christian community respond after the shooting.

Being the Hands and Feet of Jesus

With schools closed down, I saw Christian-owned businesses and churches open their doors to help watch the children of parents who had to return to work all too soon.

I saw the hands of my brothers and sisters in Christ preparing meal trains and gathering supplies from our local grocery stores to help the families affected. Candlelight vigils and prayer circles popped up throughout my entire county, and I saw Christian businesses, both small and large, donate their proceeds to help with funeral expenses. In my 28 years of life, this is the most powerful that I've personally seen the Church move. I saw so many brothers and sisters in Christ being the hands and feet of Jesus, and it has been awe-inspiring. This IS loving like Jesus.

Schools have now opened back up in my county. (I implore all of you to please pray for students and staff as the year continues and consider donating to the victims through the links provided at the end of this article.)

Scripture tells us that “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted" (Psalm 34:18). I believe that is true of those with the Holy Spirit dwelling within them. The Holy Spirit inside of us desires to uplift and be near those hurting inside our communities.

It reminds me of what James wrote,

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
James 2:14-17

One thing I would love to encourage others, as well as myself, to do is not to wait until tragedy strikes but instead to be Jesus now. Love like Jesus now. Give like Jesus now. Pray like Jesus now. Live like Jesus in your communities and take care of others.

Ways You Can Help

Here are the links to the fundraisers of those who lost their lives at Apalachee High School.

Richard Aspinwall, age 39, teacher:
https://www.gofundme.com/.../assist-shayna-aspinwall-in...

Mason Schermerhorn, age 14, student:
https://www.gofundme.com/.../support-masons-family-in...

Christian Angulo, age 14, student:
https://gofund.me/25d5e7bd...

Christina Irimie, age 53, teacher:
https://www.gofundme.com/.../honor-cristina-irimies…

And here is the link for a campaign to get metal detectors in the school: https://chng.it/FPXYvxbpzz.

Work, family, and our routines sometimes keep us so busy that we all get overwhelmed and forget to plug into the areas where we live to help those who need it. Beyond our family homes and church walls, there's an entire world filled to the brim with those who need the LIGHT and LOVE of Jesus. Will you offer it to them?

Author Bio:
Alyssa Glander has been walking with the Lord since she was about 17, and she's known since then that Christ has shouldered her all the way! She is a Content and Social Media Manager at Reasons For Hope, an integral part of our EQUIP Retreat team, and the second-youngest member of RforH! Happily married to her amazing husband Marc since 2018, they reside in Georgia with their beautiful baby girl, Genesis, and their certifiably insane (but sweet) Boston Terrier, Axel!