When tragic things happen

A friend of mine lost her husband in a car accident a few days ago. She's a stay-at-home mom with a two-year-old boy and a three-month-old baby girl. I can't imagine what she's going through. She's not only grieving for herself, but for her children who will grow up without their father.

When I hear about things like this, I can't help but wonder what if that happens to me? I really have a hard time figuring out exactly how I should respond or what perspective I should have. I feel like I could never, ever go through something like that--I'm just not strong enough. And yet I know that God would give me supernatural strength to go through the pain, as I know He must be doing for Sabrina now. Still, who wants to have to go through anything that requires that kind of strength?

There's a verse in Ecclesiastes that says that the day of death is better than the day of birth. Truthfully, that verse used to really make me angry. How could a day of death be better than a day of birth? I think about the joy I had when Perrin was born, and I compare that to the sadness of a funeral. It's a clear choice in my mind.

But the verse goes on to say, "For death is the destiny of every man, and the living take it to heart." So that's the explanation: It's better to go "to a house of mourning than of feasting" because it makes us think about the temporary nature of life. Depressing? Yeah, most definitely, if you think that death is the end or if you're not sure what happens when you die. Otherwise, I think it helps us appreciate what we have in life now and be thankful that, in Christ, there really are no goodbyes.

God doesn't prevent every bad thing from happening. Tragedy is just part of living in a broken, fallen world. But as followers of Christ, we have the promise of comfort and strength to get through it now and the knowledge that one day "he will wipe every tear from our eyes." Not to mention that when bad things happen, God shows up in a mighty way. I'm thinking of some examples right now and smiling in amazement. I know God has some big plans for Sabrina. It's not the life she would have chosen, undoubtedly, but I know he'll use this in her life to bring about something good and beautiful.

We can't go through life always worrying about the "what ifs." It's tempting when we hear about tragedies like this to succumb to fear and wear helmets and bullet-proof vests and call our loved ones every five seconds when they're traveling to make sure they're still alive. But what kind of life is that?

I'm praying daily for Sabrina. She has a very tough road ahead of her. But I'm thankful she has a strong faith in the only one who can provide for her, protect her from a life of fear, and carry her through safely to the other side.