Lo que hay en mi.......
Monday, August 21, 2006
Strong ShouldersSo many people depend upon us, and so much rides upon our shoulders. No matter how narrow or how broad those shoulders may appear, we still find room to take on more. Even in the midst of great stress and anxiety, deep down inside, if we admit it, we love it. We love to be in charge, and we love to feel needed. The graceful ability to keep our world spinning on cue is a testament to our strength and ingenuity. Until it happens. a tragedy that sends us into a tailspin, leaving us with question after question: Where did this come from? And why did it blindside me? Why didn't I see it coming? Or more importantly, "God, why didn't you stop it?"
Recently I watched a documentary that commemorated the heroic acts of ordinary but courageous citizens of 9/11. Greg Koukl said, "It's a fair question to ask, 'Where was God?' But it's an unfair statement to say, 'There was no God.' In other words, in the midst of unthinkable circumstances and heart-wrenching tragedy, God is still with us. He even weeps with us."
You might find it trite to consider that an all-powerful God capable of stopping anything would choose rather to weep with us than to prevent a tragedy. But consider the following excerpt from the life of popular writer and international speaker, Carol Kent. "The phone rang in the middle of the night. I squinted in the direction of the alarm clock as Gene reached for the receiver. It was 12:35 a.m. Who would be calling this hour? Listening to my husband, I instantly knew he was receiving dreadful news. Gene pulled the receiver back and haltingly choked out the words, "J.P. has been arrested. He's been arrested for the first-degree murder of Douglas Miller, Jr."
What would you do if you were Carol? What would you do if you received a call informing you that your only child, a dynamic Christian with an impeccable record, was accused of the unthinkable? Possibly your mama-bear instinct would kick in as you attempt to fight on behalf of your child. Maybe you would move in and out of fits of furry, weeping, and confusion. But chances are, no matter how poised and calm you normally are under pressure, a call like this could break your resolve.
We don't plan for tragedies. Often times we don't even see them in the forecast, particularly if your life has been relatively easy and good. You just don't plan on that kind of news coming anywhere close to your doorstep. So what do you do? How do you cope when you find that your worse nightmare has come true? How does this affect your faith and your belief in the goodness of God? In the next article we will explore these hard questions while discovering what takeaways we can glean from tragedy.
