The vast contrast in the news from either side of the Atlantic couldn’t be more stark:

The triumph of a celebration over the much anticipated royal wedding in England . . .

Photo by Gerard Stolk

. . . and the path of destruction left in the aftermath of 173 deadly and unexpected tornadoes that has left much of the Southeastern United States scared under mountains of debris scattered across 16 states.

American Red Cross photo

One nation mourns over the loss of over 320 lives in the single most deadly day of tornadoes in US history. Another nation celebrates the union of a new royal couple that stands in line to be the next King and Queen of England.

How gloriously beautiful is one . . . and how grotesquely broken is the other. And while we may struggle to understand why some get to celebrate while others are grieving, we know this:

While none of us are fully in control of the circumstances or situations we encounter in any given day of our lives, we are all responsible for how we respond to those circumstances and situations. We need to offer up prayers for protection, provision, and comfort for those who are suffering tragic loss. And we need to offer up prayers for protection, provision, and gratefulness for those who are rejoicing.

The New Testament writer, Paul, stated it simply in Romans 12:15:

Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.

But mourning feels a whole lot more helpless than celebrating. But even in mourning there is hope.

For more help for those who are mourning over tragic losses either suffered in the recent tornadoes or from any number of other deadly circumstances, please check out our free booklet, When Tragedy Strikes.

Our thoughts and prayers are with you all.

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...

One Response to “Beautiful & Broken”

1. andrea struble says:

   April 30, 2011 at 7:49 pm

   I used to be able to read your fbook posts. the posts are delivered to my my cell by txt msg via sms from fbook!. i am unable to adjust the font size of the txt so it fits in my cell phone screen and still be able to read the txt. does it come in a mobile version?