Six months later…

A look back at a really bad week

About six months ago, America had a terrible week. Bombings, explosions, slayings, and all manner of evil things came to the light in a span of a few days. Here’s a look back at my thoughts then:

It has been a strange week. Tragedy after tragedy, it seems, has rocked some portion of the country. Evil acts of terrorism have emerged. Assassination plots that would make for great Western movies have become reality. In the past seven days, here is a glimpse of what has gone on, state and nationwide:

• Kermit Gosnell is on trial for murdering women and babies, and the media is conspicuously silent about it. It’s trending on Twitter.
• Two bombs explode during the Boston Marathon, killing three and injuring over 100 people. Grisly photos emerge from the carnage, and people are left wondering why?
• Ricin-laced letters are sent to a Mississippi Senator and to the President, causing all mail sent to the White House to be quarantined and inspected.
• A fertilizer plant in West, Texas explodes, incinerating over 100 homes and businesses. Dozens are expected to be dead, and the town is evacuated. The blast registers as a 2.1-magnitude earthquake on the Richter scale.
• A wife of a former North Texas Justice of the Peace admits to the brutal slayings of two Kaufman County District Attorneys in cold blood.

This is all in the past seven days. How do we think about all this? How do we reconcile our knowledge of the goodness and sovereignty of God with the carnage all around us? These are tough things to think about, but Christians should keep one truth close to heart: our highest good will not happen here. Not on this earth. Our highest good and greatest blessing has been reserved for eternity, where it will never perish. All people perish on Earth—and some tragically—but the good we have waiting for us cannot be taken away, thanks to our blood-bought inheritance through Christ. Let that be an anchor for your soul.

So, God will reveal fully his goodness and sovereignty in the end, when we are finally saved. That is where we take comfort, and that is how we glorify God here. We look at the evil and destruction around us and say “God is my refuge and strength. A mighty fortress in times of trouble.” And we know that when we see Him, all will be most well.

In thinking about these things, we should also be amazed that we even have the ability to know these things in real-time. Twitter, Facebook, blogs, and the rest provide us with instant access and footage of major events as they happen. This is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because we can contact loved ones, know how to pray, and be informed in the case of emergencies or national crises. A curse because many people rush to be the first one to offer opinion and commentary on those events—often without waiting until all the facts are in.

Technology aside, however, this has been a tough week emotionally for many people. And for those of us watching at home, we share in the emotional turmoil—in bits and pieces—of all of these events. Through photos, raw video, and Twitter feeds we get to see and share things as they are, on the ground. And we get to experience, partially, all of these events. Some we feel more strongly than others, but we feel them all.

This morning, I found myself quietly crying at my desk, tears trickling down my cheeks, as I listened to a little girl scream for her daddy after she saw the explosion at West, Texas. “Dad, I can’t hear! I can’t hear! Get out of here. Please, get out of here. Dad!” I resonate with her plea. Yes, Father, take us out of here. It’s all so broken.

In the end, though, we know that the brokenness will not last forever. So be burdened, be sad, and mourn what is happening. But do so knowing that it is only temporary. One day there will be no need for such tears.