TRAGEDY is.....

Tragedy is man’s number one reason to blame God, question God, and sadly turn from God.  Tragedy is calamity or unforeseen disaster, and that which shocks the emotional system of those involved directly, while even touching the surface of many indirectly.  The direct results push away plenty from God, while the indirect results usually causes one to  fade away from others—which is a tragedy in both cases—but the “Topic Buster” will highlight that for me.Tragedy is so misunderstood, and once again, it’s because we fail to see how God uses it for good.  Tragedy is not the result of a world that God has lost control of, nor is it the outcome of an angry God punishing us based on His own prerogative.  Tragedy is the only reason believers and non-believers alike talk about Job in the Bible.  Everyone knows that story and everyone knows the outcome, so how come we fail to see that it was the tragedies in his life that had God glorified and the devil horrified?  It was the tragedy that had no explanation—except the devil was on the prowl—but it was allowed because God knew it would bring exaltation.  Though God allowed it, He controlled it.Tragedy is, truthfully, controlled calamity that is allowed to touch our worlds in order for us to touch God’s world.  A temporary disruption in order for us to see an eternal conclusion.  But so many miss it.  So many blame God or turn from Him in the process; asking the most devastating question in life, “Why?” where the answer cannot be heard over our grief.  Thus tragedy does not make us or break us, it only reveals us.The “Topic Buster:”  This one may be hard to swallow, but not from where I have come to this conclusion-- from the helm of tragedy.  And not only from tragedy, but from one who was responsible for tragedy that directly and indirectly affected so many people.  I can go on and on about God’s grace and goodness, but sometimes the tragedies we face are too much for us to see God’s love even though it’s undoubtedly there.  So in response to what I have come to learn through tragedy and how my “why” questions that were once uttered, have undeniably been answered.  I say,  tragedy that is faced and questioned, is tragedy that God has already faced and answered.  And instead of “?” to our circumstances, perhaps we should start ending those questions with a different mark.  The mark of the cross (+).  The ultimate answer.  A “tragedy” that saved us for eternity.The cross is God’s answer to a deaf world with questions.  The real tragedy is how so many miss the soul salvaging purpose in tragedy.  After 9-11, church attendance was at an all time high in America, with the slogan “We Will Never Forget.”  Within months, people forgot.