Life is often unpredictable and cruel as sudden tragedy can quickly disrupt our days. What starts off as a normal day ends as anything but. And, to be sure, it’s chaos as our world is turned upside down and we try to find our way forward. We’re like fish caught in a net or birds caught in a trap – happily minding our business before being hit by the tragedies of this life.
Of course, we understand life is fragile and that tomorrow is not promised to anyone. But these are not realities we think about on a daily basis, and rightly so. We should spend most of our time and attention thinking about things that are beautiful and worthy of praise. And it’s all too easy to give into despair when we don’t.
But this is not to live naïve. Life is filled with profound goodness that shouldn’t be ignored, as well as heartbreaking tragedies that shouldn’t be denied. Yet it’s hard to remember this when tragedy strikes.
Perhaps it’s an accident that leaves a loved one paralyzed, a medical event that brings an unexpected death, or a storm that completely destroys our house and property.
Whatever it looks like, by its very nature, there’s no way to fully prepare for the sudden tragedies of life. And it’s best to give ourselves grace whenever we’re totally disorientated in these moments.
At the same time, we must remember our place in God’s larger story – that even when a story in this life ends in tragedy God’s story is not over yet. And there are many things we won’t understand in this life.
In no way does this minimize our grief. It still sucks when tragedy strikes. And we learn to grieve as those with hope – remembering the pain and suffering of this life doesn’t have the final word in God’s story.
In the end, grieve when you’re caught in the cruel net of life’s tragedies. And remember God’s grace will guide you to peace and joy once again.
Photo by Rejaul Karim on Unsplash
