Nothing can prepare us for when tragedy strikes, for it sneaks up like a thief in the night. Though we cannot do anything to completely avoid tragedy, we are not destined to be destroyed by it.
When tragedy strikes, it is the way in which we respond that most determines the effect of the tragedy on our lives. There is room for sorrow. Plenty of room. There is room for anger and confusion and sadness. These are natural responses to tragedy. Necessary responses. We often try to gloss over the pain, thinking there is room for either acknowledgement OR healing. The truth is we have the space for both.
Negative emotions are so weighted they seem to fill our whole atmosphere. But there is room for more. Room for hope. Room for learning. Room for perseverance. Room for reconciliation. Room for forgiveness. Room for growth.
When we breathe into a balloon, it feels like we have maximized the available space. We inhale and breathe again, discovering that the balloon expands even more to make room for the fresh air we have released.
Certainly in the events of today, such tragedy is all around us, if not within our own families. We cannot prepare ourselves for tragedy. But in its wake, we can keep breathing.
God is very aware of the happenings of today. He's aware where your heart is.
He will not leave you. He is ever-present yesterday, today and tomorrow.
The world is in a state of chaos, but none of this comes as a surprise to God. Though God has not caused this, He has allowed it. This is man's sin that has led to the events of where we are today. This nation needs prayer and rapidly.
When we pray, we find miraculously that our hearts, our souls, and our minds expand, revealing a capacity bigger than we would have imagined ourselves capable of.