Lessons From Las Vegas

The recent massacre in Las Vegas, NV, is a tragedy of epic proportions. With over 500 victims, it is the largest mass shooting in recent US history. There are a lot of questions about what happened, but the greatest question is, “Is there anything to learn from the lessons from Las Vegas?”

Some people ask about the shooter’s motives and his potential involvement with ISIS. Many use this heartbreaking event to examine the need for stricter gun control measures. Others criticize the security measures used that were supposed to prevent that kind of attack. While these may be legitimate issues, any response will be fruitless without learning the lessons from Las Vegas.

So then, what are the lessons from Las Vegas?

Lessons from Las Vegas

One of the lessons from Las Vegas (and the most important one) is this; life is always shorter than you expect it to be. None of the people involved in that rampage expected the night to turn out the way it did. People did not plan to die at the concert, and nobody there expected to be injured.

The second lesson is this; you can’t control the uncontrollable. Despite security measures, gun control laws, and all the barriers put into place to prevent the unthinkable, someone managed to pull it off. Bad people do bad things, and if they are determined to follow evil then they will – eventually – succeed.

Another of the lessons from Las Vegas is this; death does not show partiality to age. Most of the victims ought to have had decades of life left to live. Some of the victims were still in school or had recently graduated. Others were near retirement age. Regardless of age, the end came sooner than any of them thought it would.

Life is fragile. Life is not guaranteed. Life is fleeting, and death can (and often does) take its victims by surprise.

Asking the Tough Questions

How many of those people were spiritually prepared for what happened? Experience shows, sad to say, that the majority of them were probably unprepared. How many of those people had a saving relationship with Jesus? Experience again shows, sad to say, that the majority of them probably didn’t know Christ.

Is that an uncaring or cold thing to think about? No, it isn’t. Is it morbid to boil it all down to those two simple questions? No, it isn’t. In fact, it not only shows sympathy, but empathy, to ask those questions.

Facing Jesus

Every one of the people who died came face to face with Jesus. While we can try to prepare for whatever uncertainties we encounter in life, each of us will have to give an account to Him. Some of us will face Him sooner, and some of us will face Him later, but face Him we will.

Of all the lessons from Las Vegas, t

he most important lesson to learn is this; you need to be prepared to face eternity at all times.