“When tragedy strikes, safety evaporates. Security is undermined. Uncertainty abounds. Fear invades. Human frailty is exposed . . . It can strike unannounced from just about any direction . . .  Tragedy strikes the deepest when it hits where we least expect it, ripping apart our sense of security and shaking us with feelings of loss and vulnerability.” (When Tragedy Strikes, p. 2)

I first wrote those words in the aftermath of the events of September 11, 2001. I slightly revised them  in the devastating wake of the December 26, 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean. Last year witnessed natural disasters throughout the world that claimed 295,000 lives, of which 222,570 were lost in Haiti’s earthquake on January 12, 2010. I revisited them again after the fateful shooting in a Safeway parking lot in Tucson, Arizona just last Saturday.

How tragically ironic.  Safeway. We won’t think of that the same way any more, will we?

Tragedy. It’s an ugly word. It refers to a violent event in which one or more losses, usually of human life, occurs.

Tragedies can be natural disasters, catastrophic accidents, or violent attacks. This one had its source in one man’s evil intention to reek havoc, destruction, and murder through violence. He did. And innocent people died. Some are left fighting for their lives while others are beginning the long road of recovery from less life-threatening wounds. All are scarred for life. That is the mayhem caused by this tragedy.

This wasn’t merely a tragic event. It wasn’t a natural disaster or an accident. Make no mistake. This was evil.

Evil is an ugly word. It lurks in the shadows. It lies motionless and waits for its moment to pounce.

My mind is immediately drawn to the words of Jesus as He described evil intentions in the 1st century:

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)

It’s the thief part that sticks out in my mind today. The intention of Satan, the Evil One that Jesus is referencing here, is to foster murder and mayhem in the world: to steal, kill, and destroy. And he’s very good at it.

But there’s hope. Even after a brutal attack that is so devastating?

Yes. Evil doesn’t have the last word.

Jesus didn’t stop with evil flourishing. He ended with hope: “I have come so that they may have life.” He continued with an offer, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). He didn’t offer to stop evil in it’s tracks. Not yet. Instead, His offer was to help us when we hurt, when we’re distraught, when we’re devastated, and even when we’re on the receiving end of the worst tragedies that the violence of evil can hurl at us.

There are no easy answers when life is stolen from us in tragedy. No trite spiritual band-aids that can bind up the wounds inflicted in every tragic situation perpetrated by violent intentions.

But there is One who hears our prayers of anguish (Psalm 62:8; 1 Peter 5:7), who weeps with us over our losses (John 11:35), and whose desire is to some day dry all of our tears (Revelation 21:4). He longs to comfort us in our pain. Bringing our broken and wounded hearts to Jesus can be the start of a deeply healing process.

But . . . it takes time. And it still hurts.

Our heartfelt prayers are with those who have lost so much and who are deeply grieving in the aftermath of this tragedy.

If you or someone you love is struggling through the grief of a tragic loss, here are some resources that we want to offer to you so you don’t have to travel that  journey alone.

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One Response to “When Tragedy Strikes . . .”

1. Christie Lane says:

   January 12, 2011 at 9:32 pm

   Recently , lost my Dad! All the help is greaty appreciated!