A suicide bomber detonated an explosive device following an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena Monday night.
The blast killed 22 people and left more than a hundred others injured.
People from all around the world are standing in solidarity with the victims and families effected by this senseless and disgusting act. Twenty two lives were lost at the hands of a coward on Monday night, and their spirit will live on forever in those who loved them.
Ariana Grande’s manager, Scooter Braun, took to Twitter to pen a message about how he’s decided to honor the Manchester Arena attack victims: by “living each day full.”
Twitter
“Tonight I got home and took my parents out to dinner. Korean bbq. We drank and ate and laughed with the tables next to us. I experienced joy,” he wrote.
In the tweets that followed, Braun shed light on how we all can move forward from the tragedy of Monday night.
“I experienced joy for the first time in days. And I remembered…we r free. We are all different but we r free to enjoy each other’s company.”
He wrote that fear has no power over the way joy and freedom that we find in community with one another. Braun says he chooses to live rather than be afraid.
“I will honor those that r lost by living each day full. Full of fun, full of laughter, full of joy. I welcome the differences of my neighbor,” Braun wrote. “The wish of terrorism is to take away that feeling of freedom and joy. No. That is my answer. No. We cant allow it. Fear cannot rule the day.”
I can’t help but be inspired by what Braun had to say. It makes me think back to Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 15:55, “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”
Satan has no foothold, no victory and no sting, because the perfect love of the Lord casts out all fear.
“Manchester I stand with you. Jakarta I stand with u..children of Syria I stand with you. We will honor you by not giving in to the darkness,” he posted. “So if u think u scared us…if you think your cowardice act made us change how we live…sorry. All you did was make us appreciate every day. With extraordinary evil we must fight with extraordinary greatness. Fight on. Goodnight world. Tomorrow I live full.”
The manager ended his series of tweets with this: “I will honor all of u by laughing loving and living. Living full for every wonderful innocent child whose life was taken too soon.”
I believe his encouragement would be the same to all of us.