"Now there were some
present who reported to him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed
with their sacrifices. (2) And Jesus said to them, ‘Do you suppose that these
Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered
this fate? (3) I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.'"
My
fellow Valkyrie enthusiast Raymond Hill recently moved to Boise, Idaho. There
he happened to see a beautiful blue & cream Valkyrie go by. He followed it
home as such are apt to do. As he acquainted
himself with his fellow rider he noticed a prominent cross. ‘Hey, I see your
cross. What church do you go to?’ His new friend said, ‘That’s in memory of my
son, Jeff who drowned in an accident last summer.’ Married on June 22, survived
by siblings Shawn, Andrew & Bethany, Jeff died tragically on July 20th,
2013 at the age of 24. The obit read;
“Taylor’s smile & sense of humor were infectious. The only thing Taylor
loved more than his family & friends was Jesus. His life was an example of
what it meant to have Christ as the center. He lived a life of serving &
being a blessing to everyone he met. Taylor was always looking for a way to
help someone. At school he didn’t want anyone to feel left out so he would go
out of his way to include everyone. Taylor was always more interested in what
others needed than what he needed. Taylor’s greatest treasure was his beautiful
bride Michelle. He adored & loved her with all his heart & would do
anything for her. Taylor we will miss
you…a viewing will be held.” Raymond
learned that Jeff had attended Cole Valley Christian School - the same school
where his grandchildren went. So he
asked his kids if they had heard of Jeff Wood.
Yes, they had, in fact Jeff’s mother had shared about God’s faithfulness
through the tragedy and Raymond’s own 7 year old granddaughter had accepted
Christ after she spoke.
What a sad story with a bit of a bitter sweet ending (though the story goes on!). I'm not trying to solve the problem of evil, just see the silver lining. We live in a fallen world. When something bad happens it doesn't mean folks are getting what they deserve, any more than the absence of tragedy means they must be doing something right. In a 'Jesus worldview', the message of tragedy is that ‘life is precious’ and short. Act now. Go sky diving. Spend a few precious
moments on a bull named ‘Fu Man Chu.’ Love deeper and give forgiveness you’ve been denying. Spend yourself well for 'no man knows his time'. But tragedy also reminds us that something has gone terribly wrong in the world. Jesus points to this when he reminds the listener to 'repent'. Now is
the time! ‘Therefore repent & return, so that your
sins may be wiped away, in order that times
of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;’Acts 3:19,20 Jesus was on earth with a mission - to go to an awful cross and die tragically. Only, out of this tragedy would come a silver lining, something good. Come to find out for the one who believes - he carried our sickness, sin, and heartache to the cross. Thus did good come from tragedy. And after the tears came the joy of resurrection. In fact, for the one who patiently trusts Jesus, good always comes from tragedy.
