The Lord cares deeply when His loved ones die.  Psalms 116:15

July 18^th, 2009

We suffered an extreme loss in our church this week in the passing of one of our members, Sharon Valdivia.  Death is always unwelcome to those left behind, even more so when it is as untimely as that of Sharon’s.  Death often arrives without warning, without explanation, and takes with it not only the life of the victim but part of the lives of family and friends left behind.  Even with this knowledge no one could have imagined the toll Death would take in claiming Sharon’s life.

Invited to have lunch with her aunt, uncle, and cousin, Sharon went to their apartment last Monday afternoon.  She was never seen again.  Sharon’s aunt said after dinner she had walked Sharon to the corner where she left her to catch a bus or taxi.  Later that evening Sharon’s brother began receiving text messages from Sharon’s phone but not from Sharon. 

The messages indicated that Sharon had been kidnapped and that a ransom was being demanded in exchange for Sharon’s life.  The messages continued through Tuesday, now including a deadline of 11 p.m.  If the ransom wasn’t paid by then Sharon would lose her life.

Wednesday morning we got the news.  Sharon’s body had been dumped in the yard of her aunt and uncle, just blocks from where she disappeared.  Officials determined Sharon had been dead since Monday, about 36 hours, indicating she had been killed not long after arriving for lunch.  By who was still a mystery, but further on-site investigation led the police to detain Sharon’s aunt, uncle, and cousin. 

Sharon’s cousin confessed first and soon afterward confessions from all three came in one form or another with varying levels of consistency.  Whatever the whole story turns out to be, Sharon was kidnapped, drugged, and killed by her own family. 

For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.  Ephesians 6:12 

What took place this past week, the acts committed within the confines of a family, are inexplicable without the understanding that the battles we fight daily are not against an enemy we can see or touch.  Instead, we fight against an enemy that hides in the shadows of our hearts and souls, an enemy that feeds on that which we provide it in the form of anger and hatred, jealousy and greed, envy and revenge. 

And don’t sin by letting anger control you. . . . for anger gives a foothold to the devil.  Ephesians 4:26,27

For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom.  Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic.  James 3:15

These evils were at work in the lives of the perpetrators, no doubt, and because they were allowed to remain and grow so did the strength and power that Satan had in their lives.  Even so, they alone are responsible for their actions, whatever they may have been, and they are subject to the consequences of their actions. 

Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.  These desires give birth to sinful actions.  And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.  James 1:14-15

I mentioned earlier that Sharon’s death took more lives than just her own.  In addition to her family the lives of the members of our congregation have been taken, if only temporarily, as we try to make some sense of what has happened.  There will be some in our congregation who simply won’t understand what has taken place or how it could even be possible.  Some will face their own battles against hatred, fear, and anger spawned by this vengeful act. 

Others will want to forgive the perpetrators immediately, reach out to them with the hope that they will repent and themselves be saved.  Then, of course, there are those who will seek earthly wisdom in an attempt to discover the details of what took place and to determine why.  In the midst of all this gossip, talk, and speculation arise.  Stories from the past, conceivable yet unfounded, come forth bringing with them more doubt and uncertainty. 

Today, two weeks later, the 3 suspected family members remain in custody, guilty no doubt but of undetermined charges.  The investigation continues- a motive sought after along with the hope of resolution.  Hope, I believe, is all there is, as there may be no true resolve, the wound inflicted being likely to remain unhealed, other, older wounds opening as a result. 

My hope rests in the possibility that Sharon, the victim, was also the innocent in all of this.  It is with faith that I believe her murder can serve a purpose and that those who are suffering most are also those who can gain the most if they so choose.  The fight now is against the hate and anger, the sadness and depression.  The fight now turns inside.

Yesterday during lunch a friend asked “Do you think we’ll ever know what really happened?”  “No,” I said. 

In storytelling, true or not, an end is expected, a completion to the tale.  I struggled to share this story because I had yet to find one.  Now I realize it’s pointless to look, as stories such as these never end. 

Please pray for the family and friends suffering most through all of this.  This story is not a part of their lives.  Rather, their lives have become a part of this story.  So while they will not find the end they are looking for please pray that they will find peace and that they will find the reason why they have been given a role in this tragedy.