.jpg)
I have been thinking about how to write this post for two weeks. When the gun man went into the school in Sandy Hook and took the lives of the children and teachers, I knew I would have to write about it.
This is one of those monumental moments that takes place every so often that really challenges our faith. The first question that comes to many people's minds is, "How could a loving God allow this to happen?" While I admit that question did cross my mind momentarily, I want to take a little while to explain how I get through times like these, and how I try to help others.
First, and this is really important....Satan is real. He also is bold. If you look back to the book of Job in the Old Testament, Satan challenges God by stating that he could turn Job away from God by making him miserable on earth. God allows the challenges and Job goes through one of the worst testing ever recorded. He loses his possessions, his children and his health....He is in constant pain....yet his perspective is: ...."The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away." He acknowledged that all things were from God and that it was His prerogative to take back what is His. He goes on to say in a later verse (Job 36:15) "But those who suffer He delivers in their suffering, He speaks to them in their affliction.
Here is where you need to ask yourself, and those around you, a serious question because the answer will guide you in your life. Job had a fantastic relationship with God. His relationship with the Lord was more important that his relationship with anything else, including his family, his possessions and his health. In his trying times, Job didn't curse God, but instead he knew that the real curse would be if he had to endure these losses without God. Think about this for a minute.....Bad things ARE going to happen. The Lord gave the Earth to Satan, so you can bank on the fact that evil is everywhere. Where will you turn at your lowest moment?
There are two things that you can hold onto to get you through.....first, The Lord wants the best for you. Stay faithful and he will give you peace. In Matthew 5:4 Jesus said, "Blessed are those who mourn, they will be comforted. How many times have we seen great things come from great tragedy? The 911 tragedy brought an entire nation together. I was a corporate trainer at the time and had a class in for training. As we watched to events unfurl in front of our eyes, people were already desperately trying to figure out how to get back to their loved ones....they even rented Uhaul moving trucks, because all of the rental cars were gone. It made everyone appreciate their families....but it took an evil deed, that caused a lot of pain for many, to shock the rest of the country into their appreciation. Look at the tragic shooting in Columbine High School. It was a terrible incident, but it brought to light the dangerous results of bully-ing and shed light in a place that had tormented people for ages. Finally, let's look at Sandy Hook.....what an example of Satan's lack of compassion....his total lack of anything good...The lives of Kindergarteners, First Graders, and School Staff just a few weeks before Christmas, for seemingly no reason. With it's closeness to Christ's birthday, one could wonder if this was yet another way that Satan tries to take people's focus and good will away from the season? In Luke 18:16, Jesus called the children to him and said "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." We can all rest assured that ALL of the little ones got to spend an amazing Christmas in heaven. They were not yet old enough to be jaded and covered in sin. The other "silver lining" that came out of the tragedy is that EVERYONE went home and held their children tighter. As busy as this world has become with distractions that pull us away from family, it takes a terrible shock to re-center us on what God wants.
The second thing that you can hold onto is that our time on this Earth is fleeting. I had a friend who was talking to me about a conversation that he had overheard between a personal trainer and his client in a gym....The client was really struggling through a certain exercise and the trainer leaned down and said, "you can endure anything for 7 seconds". Our time on this planet is our "7 seconds" in eternity. However, what we do in those "7 seconds" has a very enduring effect. Don't allow the pain, suffering, and hardship of this life to shake the faith that will allow you to rejoice in the next. The real mourning should take place when we lose those who do not have faith in the Lord's salvation, that is the true loss. So as you help people deal with the recent events, focus on the results, the outcomes, the future.
In closing:
1. We live on an Earth that is Satan's playground. Bad things will happen, we will suffer, and how we react to the trials is important.
2. God will take great tragedy and allow good to grow from it. It may not seem so at the time, and you may not be the one who sees the good, but he will always bring growth from tragedy.
3. Our time here is short in the span of eternity. Understand that the only thing that can't be taken from you is your relationship to God. EVERYTHING ELSE is fair game for Satan.
4. This all sounds great, until you are the one in the midst of the trial. I am not saying it is fair, or easy to endure. I pray that when you are faced with tragedy that the Lord will send you the support and the peace that you need.
I hope this has been helpful.....It is how I have tried to talk my family and friends through the recent events. Hug your kids, kiss your spouse, enjoy your friends, live every day as if tomorrow could change for the worse...enjoy your blessings while you have them, you never know when they may be gone.
