the Beauty of Tragedy

 

 

Sudden tragedies are difficult. Obviously. They are physically, emotionally, and sometimes spiritually draining. It throws off your routine, your plans, your whole life. Yet, I’ve seen some very beautiful things in the midst of tragedy.

 

On Saturday, July 26th, my parents and sister were in a very serious car accident (read:  Prayer for my Parents) right outside our neighborhood. Immediately, despite that it was late on a Saturday night, people rushed to our side with prayer, support, and encouragement.  I’ve spent the majority of the last 12 days in the hospital watching a steady stream of people come in and out of their rooms. Groups of people lay hands on my dad and mom and ask for strength, protection, and healing. We’ve seen God answer these prayers as their conditions have improved each day. There are a lot of prayers going up for Brie (my sister) and me as well. I know God has been answering those prayers too because I am not going to the hospital and taking care of my parents everyday solely on my own strength. To be perfectly honest, I lost it the moment I walked up to the car accident. It’s been God this whole time. Not only are people praying, but they are willing to do practical things to help our family and they give out of love, not obligation.

 

I never realized how many lives my parents have affected and how many people love our family so dearly. The stacks of cards in each of their rooms moves me. We created a website to keep people updated on my parents’ condition. In the 10 days that it’s been up, it has received over 1400 visits and the guestbook has been signed 106 times. The outpouring of love is overwhelming! God has richly blessed us with Christian brothers and sisters, true friends, and an amazing family.

 

Yesterday there was an article published in the Palm Beach Post about the accident (click here to read the article online) and since then tons more people have been calling and stopping by the hospital. It’s been bringing us back together with people we lost touch with and haven’t seen in years. In the most extreme case, there was a lady my parents were very good friends with back when we lived in Miami. We lost touch with her and haven’t seen or talked to her in 22 years. Since then she’s moved up to Palm Beach County and happen to read about the accident in the paper. She called the hospital and talked to my dad and now she’s going to come by to visit. It’s amazing how a tragedy can bring people back together.

 

 

In the face of tragedy, some people question why God allows these things to happen. Being a Christian doesn’t mean that God prevents anything bad from happening to you; rather, He walks with you through the bad times. God’s mighty hand is so intimately woven into every detail of this situation that there’s no question He’s been watching over us from the very beginning. Let’s make a quick, not nearly exhaustive, list:

 

– I had been out of town for the last month, the last two weeks of which I wasn’t even in the country. I arrived home at 8:30pm and was less than a mile away when the accident occurred at 9:00pm.

-David, Brie’s fiance, is in paramedic school and had just finished a day of clinicals at Columbia Hospital. He was still in his uniform with gloves in his pocket when Brie called. He was able to assist at the scene, helping to get my parents out of the car, onto to stretchers, and on their way to the hospital.

-The accident was bad, but had the car hit two feet farther back, the injuries would have been much more extensive and likely devastating.

-One of the witnesses was an off-duty Sheriff’s officer. How much more credible of a witness can you get???

-Another witness was a paramedic. The officer and paramedic jumped out of their cars and were already checking my parents’ vitals when my sister called 911.

-One of the other witnesses saw the cars when they originally pulled out onto the main street and began their drag race, which will be very helpful if this ends up as a court case. She’s also a Christian and has been praying for and keeping up with my family.

-The nursing staff at St Mary’s has been taking incredible care of both mom and dad. Dad’s been talking about Jesus to everyone that comes in and has had some wonderful conversations with the staff. I know that the steady stream of visitors doesn’t go unnoticed by the staff and it’s a testament to God’s love and the bonds created between people who truly care about one another.

 

It’s been so wonderful to see beauty amidst tragedy. I don’t know how anyone survives the hard times in life without being able to see God in it. I thank God that He reveals Himself to me and my family, even in our most difficult times. Tragedy is not the time to blame God and abandon Him. It’s a time to run into the safety and comfort of His arms and rest in the fact that He loves us and has everything under control.

 

“You can complain because roses have thorns, or you can rejoice because thorns have roses.”