Tragedy is a part of life, but it shouldn’t be.

Sara Thompson
Bachelor of Arts (communication) student
Avondale College of Higher Education

Only four weeks ago, news of the Boston Marathon bombings spread around the world, particularly as images from the fateful event filled our screens and tugged at our hearts. But our lives go on as usual.

It isn’t the first tragedy we’ve seen. Death from natural disasters, mass killings and wars have become an accepted part of life in the 21st century. But what about the loss of life that doesn’t make it to the news bulletins? What about the hundreds who die of starvation, from lack of clean water, from abuse and from human trafficking every day? I know, we’ve heard these tales of woe before, but that doesn’t make them any less real.

Perhaps it’s worth mentioning that life isn’t meant to be like this.

Of course, you say. One day Jesus will return and make it all better. But as we go on as usual, the idea of “one day” fades into the distance and we settle back into our antediluvian lives. We’ve accepted a chaotic, tragic world as normal. We’ve forgotten it isn’t our home.

Sometimes I find myself viewing God as an aloof authority figure rather than an intimate and loving heavenly Father who is so deeply involved in our lives. Death is not a statistic to Him; everything that happens in this world makes an impact on Him. He’s mourning the loss of His children, and not just the ones in Western countries, the ones who have names and faces, but those who suffer, seemingly forgotten, out of our view.

If He knows when a sparrow falls, then how much grief must He experience when His own children cause each other so much pain? How much must He be longing to return and end this suffering?

Tragedy is a part of life, but it shouldn’t be.