WHEN TRAGEDY STRIKES

Thomas Nelson Publishers

Contents

Foreword.......................................................vii1. When Tragedy Strikes........................................12. Compassion and Concern......................................153. Becoming a Comforter........................................254. We Need Each Other..........................................355. Living Fearlessly...........................................416. God Is in Control...........................................517. Forgiveness: A Way Out......................................618. Discovering the Good: A Divine Boundary.....................69Conclusion.....................................................91About the Author...............................................96

Chapter One

Hidden away on the third page of our newspaper in mid-November 2001, was the story of thirteen miners who died at the Blue Creek No. 5 mine in Brookwood, Alabama. Apparently there was an initial explosion, and three miners were trapped, injured, or killed. Ten other miners immediately went into the mine to try and rescue their stricken colleagues. While seeking their friends to give them aid, another explosion occurred, and all thirteen men lost their lives.

And do you recall some years ago when a little child in Texas fell into a well and the ensuing struggle by paramedics and firefighters to find and rescue her? If I remember correctly, the child was trapped for almost twenty-four hours, and the longer the event wore on, the more focused the nation became on that little one. The life-and-death concerns around that child grabbed America's attention, and millions were riveted to the TV, until finally she was rescued safe and sound, except for some bruises and a lot of tears. It was as though all of us had participated in the event, and we all shared the thrills when she was saved.

I suppose these stories would have grabbed front-page headlines on a "normal" day, but the days immediately following 9/11 were anything but normal.

It seems to me that because of the 9/11 attacks, as never before in our lifetime, many of us Americans feel we are now living in a world where the possibility of death and disaster loom as very real causes for concern. Intuitively, we seem to understand that the enormity of the disaster that ensued as a result of the attacks in New York and Washington, D.C., makes other tragic moments in the day-to-day affairs of our nation pale in comparison. Yet, we all know that the heartache stemming from any type of tragedy is very real, and no matter how small or localized the circumstance, it affects deeply all of those who are involved. So, we dare not make light of any situation that leaves people in grief.

The pain and sorrow caused by tragic circumstances affect all cultures and societies. Sooner or later, every person will be faced with the sadness and difficulties associated with a sudden traumatic event that will change forever life as they know it. And tragedy comes in different shapes and sizes. Individuals, families, cities, regions, and nations experience horrifying disasters. And, as in the case of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, some tragic events affect the entire world.

In recent memory we recall massive damaging earthquakes in Turkey and Mexico that took many lives. We shudder at the thought of hundreds killed in religious warfare in Northern Ireland and Indonesia. Some of us remember our sense of disquiet during the days following the nuclear meltdown in Chernobyl. And what can we say regarding the school shootings in Colorado, Oregon, and Kentucky?

Frankly, dear reader, the reality is that tragedies are ever present with us-they are part of our daily existence. But almost always they occur with such devastating abruptness that we are left in shock and panic. We get the phone call about the auto accident. We hear of the heart attack. We catch the quick flash on the evening news about ships colliding on the high seas with the whereabouts of the crew unknown; and much of the time we are stunned by what we see and hear. Sometimes, however, many of us seem to be immune to the sudden news events that should change our status-quo feelings and galvanize us to action but which, in reality, find us sadly apathetic and unmoved by the trauma.

We are children of an age in which tragedy has become part of our daily agenda. Most of the time, tragic events are not something for which we plan. We do not arrange ahead of time to face these sudden crisis moments in our lives, unless, of course, our professional responsibilities direct that we are part of some type of emergency-management team whose specific responsibility is to prepare for such disasters.

Some months ago, I heard an interview with an emergency room physician in Washington, D.C. He described how, in his capacity as chief of disaster preparation for the hospital, the systems he had put into place seemed to work quite adequately as they began bringing in the wounded from the Pentagon attack. Nevertheless, he commented that in spite of all the advance planning, there were many unforeseen situations that became apparent to them as they were flooded with the victims of the disaster. Also, he wondered aloud as to what they would have done if their hospital had been the target of such a terrorist attack.

CHANGED FOREVER

Even the word tragedy in our language seems to convey a sense of foreboding and fearful anticipation. So it is no surprise that the events that have happened to our fellow Americans in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania in 2001 have stung all of us to the core. We've had many, many different kinds of emotions-disbelief, revenge, rage, frustration, and fear, to name but a few. In my judgment, however, there has been no single historical event since the Civil War that has caused us to recoil with such horror and to view a terrorist attack with so much individual and national anger.

It may well be that our nation will be changed forever. President Bush implied as much when he said, "Our war on terrorism will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped, and defeated," as quoted in U.S. News and World Report from October 1, 2001. A terrorist war has come to us, to our own shores. In all the other wars we have taken part in, we have fought to protect our own interests or to help others in their struggles on foreign territory. But now, for the first time, we have been attacked on our own soil-and in such a despicable manner.

This tragedy was the result of a planned, premeditated, clandestine guerilla operation designed to destroy the lives of thousands of innocent people. Hate and bigotry motivated it, and, worst of all, it was cloaked in religious fervor. That fact alone makes it horrific!

This was the evil work of evil men whose minds were darkened to the point of believing that they could indiscriminately maim and murder thousands of people and be rewarded by their god. These were actions stemming from depraved minds, minds with no sense of shame or conscience, that purposed to create mayhem and havoc in America by destroying thousands of innocent people.

It did not take our leaders and the nation as a whole much time to see clearly that these terrorists' actions represented an act of war against our country. I doubt, however,...