There aren’t enough words, or sufficient ones, to properly express the heartbreak that goes with the news of the recent school shooting in Uvalde Texas. I was not physically there, have no direct connection, and no explanation for what happened. Most of us are in the same weird place of unsettling helplessness, while left holding an indescribable grief as we watch events unfold from a distance. With no tangible ways to interact with the situation, we grieve from afar. And as Christians, wicked and horrifying events should grieve us.
So today, this writing is in acknowledgment of those impacted by the particular tragedy in Uvalde. But also every other that preceded it and because our world is fallen, every other one that is yet to occur.
And there are so many impacted. So many broken hearts.
The unsuspecting children, the teachers who poured into them, the officers who responded to protect them, the medical staff who treated them, the parents & family who loved them, the community that knew them. There are no human words available for these people to erase the deep grief they will now be afflicted with. None.
What I do know is that God is still God, even in the middle of this awful mess. And He is a good God. And everything under the sun, evil included, requires his consent. I know these foundational truths...do you? Many will outrage against Him, question Him, seek Him, or even turn away from Him. It is after all, in the middle of heavy trials, that can make a new or break a dull believer. Either the pencil lead sharpens, or it breaks.
And in futile attempts to explain and answer questions that have no quick fix, we often get angry. We are insatiable seekers of answers…especially to hard questions. Even more aching is the reality that have no innate right to answers, especially the hard ones. And we are so undeniably uncomfortable with unexplained pain.
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable are his ways! For who has know the mind of the Lord?
Romans 11:33-34
What is even more disheartening in the wake of tragedy, the immediate aftershock of what has happened, are the flaming darts being hastily loosened everywhere we turn. Hateful words, accusations, divisiveness. Deflection. Distraction. Dishonor. Disrespect. None of which are healing, comforting or useful to those who need it most…the people impacted. Hastiness is dangerous. That is what led me to write today. Not so much the awful events that transpired, which cannot be undone and I can do no justice in addressing; but rather how we respond and move forward in light of it all.
What I see are people of this world trying to control things not of this world.
Inevitably a question surfaces, “Why would God allow this?” "How can a good God let such evil happen?" I know these questions, I too have asked them. Yet while we can’t really answer with details, we can express what we do know: God allows bad things to happen, and bad things do happen. Everything passes through his hands. He is sovereign over ALL. And in the end, God wins.
So what we can strive for are not answers, but better understanding, better responding. Before response, we often skip something else - processing. So while some are hastily shaking their fists to do this or do that, fix something or change that, maybe what we ought to do first is take some time to be still, and simply weep. Weep for the victims, the violation, the horror. Weep for how destructive sin is, and how it grieves God so. Weep for what has been lost. Weep with the broken hearted. All too often this part of processing is ignored and pushed aside, yet it is often in this part where God is waiting for us, to provide some of the understanding we are seeking.
In the beginning, Adam and Eve did not know sorrow. They had no reference point for pain, hurt, trauma or sadness. They were never intended to carry those burdens. But Eve…well, we know how the story goes. Sin and evil enter the picture, and suffering begins. What did they do? Well, first they tried to hide from God. They became ashamed which led to being defensive. Then Adam blamed Eve, Eve blamed the serpent, and hostility was sparked. Here were the beginnings of deflection, distraction, dishonor, disrespect.
What Adam and Eve did not do was acknowledge Satan was among them and then properly guard themselves. They did not reflect on their own actions and sit with the unsurmountable grief that was just formed. So it is no surprise that today we also struggle with that. And as it began there in the garden, today we still have a hasty and hostile evil that permeates this world.
How can we respond? How can we proceed? First, we must accept that we will not have answers to all our questions. That is fundamental. If you don’t believe me, let’s see what the Word has to say so we can gain proper perspective.
When I applied my mind to know wisdom and to observe the activity that is done on
the earth (even though ones eyes do not close in sleep day or night), I observed all
the work of God and concluded that a person is unable to discover the work that
is done under the sun. Even though a person labors hard to explore it, he cannot find it;
even if a wise person claims to know it, he is unable to discover it.
Ecclesiastes 8:16-17
There are plenty of places in scripture that remind us we will not have all the answers, this side of Heaven. That is just a fact we must reconcile. Once we accept that truth, and surrender our need for answers, we can begin to seek God in the tragedy.
How can He redeem this situation?
How will He bring restoration?
In what ways will He be glorified?
Where is He at work in it?
Or, what evil is the enemy perpetrating here?
How can we better guard ourselves against the evil one?
How can we remain steadfast in our faith while the world attempts to rattle it?
How can we be a loving voice that can help comfort those who are mourning?
Recognizing God in the midst of evil events is the difference between useless chaff blowing away in the wind and hearty wheat that is ready for harvest.
But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord, and they do not understand His purpose;
for He has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.
Micah 4:12
Second, we ought to check where our hope lies in the face of evil.
It's a safe assumption that most of us have experienced trauma, horrifying evil, and wickedness of all kinds. Either directly, or indirectly. Communally or individually. But if we look back over the situation from a 30,000 foot view, we often later recognize where God was in the center of it. Maybe we see where we surprisingly ended up, how we survived, and then managed to shine somewhere else. We see other paths that were taken, sweet outcomes that were unexpected. We see places he healed and transformed brokenness into wholeness. Maybe we can even see how one life was impacted in a glorious way out of devastating ruin. More often, we probably won't even see these outcomes....but that doesn't mean God's not working in them.
It is lovely when we can see some glimmer of beauty that arose from the ashes, or a small light that broke through even the deepest crack. But even if we don’t, we have a bold, rooted hope that withstands all evil aftermath. A hope where on the other side of this life, our bodies will be restored to a perfect state, our sorrows will be erased and His glory will outshine any other thing we dare compare.
And until that time, hope must be enough for us.
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth
comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us.
Romans 8:18
You see, how we view tragedy is more important eternally than the noisy distractions of news reports, opinions, legislature, and protests. And as Christians, an eternal perspective is the one we submit to first. Our viewpoint must be visible through a gospel lens so the truths we stand on will bring us the comfort and peace we need to process the unthinkable. Because without an eternal guidepost rooted in truth, the unthinkable is absolutely unbearable.
That is where we, who know God, must settle. The whole world is watching how we respond. May your response in the hurt be a guidepost for others. We wait in our pain, because we have hope in our healing. Steadfast my friends, steadfast.
The Light shines in the darkness, yet the darkness did not overcome it.
John 1:5
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