In the midst of the recent mass shooting in El Paso I can assure you that God has not abandoned us and in fact he is a God who stays.

John 3:16For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Last night I received a text from a friend. It said simply, "Pray for the people of El Paso." It didn't take much researching when I read that 20 people were dead with another 2 dozen injured when a lone shooter with an AR-47 marched through the store and mowed people down. The collateral damage goes beyond the dead but extends to layers upon layers of people who knew those who died and to those who were injured. Twenty people who were out on what should have been a normal Saturday shopping time now dead.

The entire area of El Paso and elsewhere will now be experiencing grief so profound that its symptoms may linger for many months, and perhaps years. Symptoms of grief and sorrow should never be ignored. 

If you have the following symptoms after many months, I would encourage you to seek professional counseling with someone who understands trauma. 

Intense sorrow, pain, and rumination over the loss of your loved one
Focus on little else but your loved one's death
Extreme focus on reminders of the loved one or excessive avoidance of reminders
Intense and persistent longing or pining for the deceased
Problems accepting the death
Numbness or detachment
Bitterness about your loss
Feeling that life holds no meaning or purpose
Lack of trust in others and the inability to enjoy life or think back on positive experiences with your loved one. 

You may be experiencing complicated grief: Complicated grief is like being in an ongoing, heightened state of mourning that keeps you from healing. These symptoms can keep your body in a heightened state of alert caused by the overly active cortisol stress hormone in your body. On the Mayo Clinic website, I read the following of the risks of this stress hormone:

But when stressors are always present and you constantly feel under attack, that fight-or-flight reaction stays turned on. The long-term activation of the stress-response system and the overexposure to cortisol and other stress hormones that follow can disrupt almost all your body's processes. This puts you at increased risk of many health problems, including:

Anxiety
Depression
Digestive problems
Headaches
Heart disease
Sleep problems
Weight gain
Memory and concentration impairment

These symptoms must never be ignored and you should let your doctor know whenever you experience the death of a loved one, or witness, in this case, a mass shooting so your symptoms can be monitored.

Learning to react to stress in a healthy way

Stressful events are facts of life. And you may not be able to change your current situation. But you can take steps to manage the impact these events have on you.

You can learn to identify what stresses you and how to take care of yourself physically and emotionally in the face of stressful situations.


Stress management strategies include: ( on the Mayo website)

Eating a healthy diet and getting regular exercise and plenty of sleep
Practicing relaxation techniques such as practicing deep breathing exercises, getting a massage or learning to meditate
Taking time for hobbies, such as reading a book or listening to music
Fostering healthy friendships
Having a sense of humor
Volunteering in your community
Seeking professional counseling when needed

The reward for learning to manage stress is peace of mind and perhaps a longer, healthier life. ( Mayo Clinic website) https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress/art-20046037

I want to add one more item that my family did after experiencing the loss of a loved one, and that was we kept believing that God is good and kept on attending our weekly worship services at the same church we attended when our loved one was alive. This wasn't easy, but necessary in terms of our long term spiritual health.

The images of this recent tragedy most of us saw on social media cannot be avoided and we must keep reminding ourselves that the majority of people in our country are law-abiding people who have the same goals as you and I.

As a Christian believer, I'm going to pray for the people of El Paso.