Wednesday; July 16
It is hard to watch what is going on in Texas right now. With the number of confirmed dead and scores more unaccounted for, our hearts hurt with all the pain and devastation. In an effort to wrap our heads around something as horrific as this, we try to come to grips with what is going on. Are we in the end times? Is the Lord trying to teach us something? While it is natural to try to make logical sense out of what is going on, I believe one of the comforting things we can do is understand this isn’t unusual for life on earth. Now hear me out, if you have lost someone in this tragedy (or any tragedy), I am not trying to diminish your pain and anguish. However, what I am trying to say is that life on earth is fraught with danger. It doesn’t take much of a review of history to see this. On this day in 1981, 114 people killed in the collapse of the skyway of the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Kansas City. About this time of year in 1972 Hurricane Agnes was brewing in the tropics – and even though it was only a Category 1 storm with 85 mile per hour winds – it is credited with somewhere around 125 deaths. In May of 2011 over 150 people were killed in tornado in Joplin, Missouri. As hard as it is to accept, sometimes bad things happen.
While this might lead us to live in fear or threaten our belief in the protective nature of God, I believe that there is something else that can get us through the uncertainty. While we may not be able to control nature, we can let people know we care about one another. When bad things happen, let’s pray for them. When tragedies strike, let’s find a way to donate to help offset the cost of their inconveniences. When people are sad or afraid, let’s listen to them and support them in their adaptive processes. Ever since sin entered the world, humans have been confronted with uncertainties and imperfections. We can’t change that, but we can support each other as we work through these tragedies together.
Think About It!