What Can Come From Tragedy?

7 Dec

“Everybody knows about Pearl Harbor. The thing that really fascinated me is that through this tragedy there was this amazing American heroism.” ~ Michael Bay

Today is the anniversary of the tragic attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.  That event saw our nation enter a world conflict with a resolve to defeat their enemies and restore peace to our nation and to other nations in the world.

Tragedy begets sorrow.  This much is most certainly true.  When tragedy strikes, we go through all sorts of emotions: anger, frustration, rage, confusion, doubt, horror.  Yet, tragedy also produces other things as well.  Many people find that they are more resilient than they thought they were.  After all the horror that they have gone through, many even find peace and happiness much later.

Some say that tragedy can make a person or break a person.  Certainly, if someone gives up when tragedy strikes, they can become broken, perhaps beyond the ability to restore themselves to peace of mind.  Others, when tragedy strikes, find that they have an inner strength that will help them come through it all and that they have others in their lives on whom they can depend, particularly family and friends.

As we go through many tragedies in our lives, we also come to realize that there is a very good friend who can help us through it all:  Jesus Christ.  I have always been amazed by stories that people have told about encountering the Lord in tragic circumstances.  In war, in disasters of all kinds, there have been those who have recounted how Jesus led them through peril to safety, talking to them the entire way and letting them know that He would never leave them.

As we remember some of the tragic events in our history — Pearl Harbor, 9/11, and other such events — we can allow them to bring us down and abandon hope or we can ask the Lord to be with us in those kinds of times in order to lead and guide us.

We never have to do anything alone.  God will always be at our side if we ask Him to be.  Fear not.  Do not give up.  Allow God to take you by the hand.

FAITH ACTION:  Pray for all those who have gone through or who are going through tragic moments in their lives, that they might have the grace to come through their tragedy with a deeper faith.