For October

Tragedy

There is no more painful tragedy than that attached to apparent success that isn’t. A loving couple yearn for a baby as fruit of their union. They become pregnant and everything goes as it should. A baby boy is delivered and is perfect in almost all respects. Except the boy is missing something that allows him to digest food. While he was attached to his mother, her blood had delivered all that he needed to sustain himself, but that was gone at birth. And when doctors notice it, it is too late. The couple can feed their son, but he cannot digest it. And so within a day, that perfect boy will die. He is too young to operate on. And there is not enough time even if an operation were attempted.

Who can describe the pain such a couple feel? They aren’t unique, such tragedy does not happen often, but that it has even happened once is just wrong. It is natural at such times for people to turn to God and ask why? How is it even possible that such a thing could happen if God existed? If God were loving, why wouldn’t he fix it? And so in grief, those that do not know God have their fears confirmed. But those that know God are confronted and challenged.

The God that the atheists do not believe in does not exist. It is a ridiculous being, composed of artifacts of culture, that combined are impossible. But the God named in the Bible is real and worthy of great praise. He is present at such tragedies, and He does the impossible of loving and healing the lamenting couple, who are helpless. The Hospital staff who are wounded by the grief and sadness and the baby boy who will too soon rest eternally with Him are comforted by Him. A lifetime of love is given to that baby by his parents that day, and the memory of him will be life long. So much that was hoped for will never be. There is pain in the world, that is made clear by His word. But that will not be, come the time when He sits in glory at his throne.

The miracle of life, the grace that is experienced in every loving relationship: that is a gift that God has given us. We do not know why there are such tragedies or even what they mean in the great scheme of things. But such challenge can be met with perseverance. It would be a bigger tragedy if life were inconsequential.