I was awake yesterday morning in England as the tragedy in Las Vegas unfolded. A friend who is from Las Vegas posted about it on Facebook. She was both utterly distraught and completely grateful that dear friends of hers who were in that area were safe.
When tragedies such as this happen, my gut reaction is to draw the curtains and lock the door and ask my loved ones to do the same. All of this with the goal being to never let anything bad happen to me or my family.
In my lifetime, I’ve been close to and far from serious situations and horrors that not only rocked my world but rocked the planet. It’s one thing to face a tragedy forced by nature but quite another to witness one happen at the hand of man. This type of tragedy rocks something even bigger than the planet, it rocks our hearts. It’s a treacherous ground to cover but we must try.
So how do we, as Christians, respond when tragedies strike by the hand of mankind? Here are just a few ways.
- In BROKENNESS at the grip that some allow Satan to have over them. This can make us angry too but we have to be careful that anger doesn’t take root and turn to bitterness.
- With GRATITUDE for the safety of our loved ones and all who survived. It is okay to be relieved and rejoice that some have survived.
- With FAITH enough to believe that God is still good in all of it. This is when we lean on the hope that is unseen. When we choose to believe that He is bigger than the worst thing that can happen.
- In PRAYER for the responders and medical teams that are trying to hold life together. And especially for the families whose stories have changed forever in an instant and will now grieve the loss of their loved one.
- But mostly, as Christians, let us respond to tragedy in LOVE. Let us use the love that we have deeply rooted in Christ to bring order and balance back into a place where Satan foolishly thinks he has tipped the scale in his favor.
Sure, we know the end of the story. God wins. But knowing this doesn’t make the hurt, sorrow and confusion of the current circumstances magically disappear. Christians, let us work through this together. Let us pierce the darkness with unmistakable Light.
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
Andrea Stunz has been a Christ-follower from the age of seven. She is the loyal wife to one, loving mom to three amazing adult children, grateful mother-in-law and ridiculously proud grandmother. A well-traveled Texan, having lived in Brazil, Asia, and the UK, Andrea finds joy in her family, grace in her friends, beauty in a story, purpose in the sunrise, wonder in her travels, and hope in Colossians 1:17. Andrea longs to encourage others by sharing stories because “a story worth living is a story worth sharing”. Find more from her at AndreaStunz.com.
