What devastating news we continue to hear out of Washington state. It is hard to fathom how a mountainside could give way with such power that it basically erased a small town from existence. At the very least 24 people are dead and dozens are still missing. Houses and businesses were completely leveled, cars crushed, people buried. All of this happened in an instant. It is hard for us to fathom these kind of images and stories coming within the borders of the United States. I, at least, tend to think of these sort of natural disasters happening somewhere else in the world. It is just so incredibly heartbreaking.
In times like these, a lot of people want to know why God allows things like this to happen. If God is so powerful and so good, then why didn't God hold up that mountainside or keep it from raining so much that this could happen. For me, it is very difficult to find any kind of satisfying theological explanation of tragic events such as these. Although it is equally tragic, whenever a human being or human beings does something evil and kills other people it is much easier to explain theologically. That person or people or nation sinned and their sin caused death and destruction. We can't blame God for the freely chosen sinful actions of human beings, whether as individuals, groups, or nations. But what about when people didn't do it? Sure, there are reports coming out that an engineer cautioned years ago that this mountainside could possibly collapse at some point in the future. If those reports are credible then those who could have done something about it but chose not to are guilty of sin. However, blaming someone doesn't negate the fact that the side of a mountain simply fell off and buried a town. Why did God create a world that is so fragile? This is a tough reality to reconcile with traditional Christian faith. I can't give any sort of definitive answers to this but I do want to shed light on a few things we might be able to learn from this tragedy in Washington state. Some of them are theological and others are more scientific or sociological. Also, some are frightening and others are encouraging.
1. No matter how technologically advanced we get, nature is still more powerful than we are and always will be. We are little specks on a big planet, which is a little speck in a big solar system, which is a little speck in a big galaxy, which is a little speck in a big universe. This should be humbling to us and it should instill in us a sense of awe and a healthy fear.
2. We do live in a "fallen" world, although we may interpret what "fallen" means in a few different ways. What I mean by that is that we live on earth, not in heaven. Although in Jesus Christ, the Kingdom of God has begun to spread through the world like yeast in bread or seeds on the ground, we still live on an imperfect, often violent, planet. The Apostle Paul describes this in Romans 8 by saying, "We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains." What he means by this is that the pain, destruction, and decay that are a part of planet earth pain that is leading toward eventual joy. Paul thought that was going to happen during his lifetime, although as we know it didn't turn out that way. Many scientists think this is just pie in the sky wishful thinking. Whatever else it is, however, what I call it is hope. Although some might call me illogical or irrational, I refuse to live without hope. As Samuel Johnson once said, "Hope is necessary in every condition. The miseries of poverty, sickness, and captivity, would, without this comfort, be insupportable."
3. We should recognize that none of us are guaranteed tomorrow. James puts it this way: "Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a town and spend a year there, doing business and making money.' Yet you do not even know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that'" (4:13-15). I have always thought it was pretty cheesy and unrealistic when people say, "Live everyday like it is your last." Well, that just doesn't make any sense to me. If I lived every day like it was my last I wouldn't go to the gym or eat healthy or go to work or empty the dishwasher or send my kids to school or let my wife walk out the door to go to work or shovel the dog poop in the backyard. If I lived every day like it was my last nothing would ever get done. However, I do kind of get what that saying is talking about, and to tell you the truth it really does work in regard to two very important areas of life, actually the two areas of life that Jesus says are the most important: love God and love others.
Whenever we see horrible tragedies like what happened in Washington, as we mourn for them we should also be drawn to be in right relationship every single day with God and others, especially our families. I'm about to get Baptist here for a minute, but although I'm a pretty progressive Christian I 100% believe that it is best to get right with God now as opposed to later. As Paul says, "See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2). As Jesus says, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news" (Mark1:15) and "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me" (Luke 9:23). If you're waiting until tomorrow to get right with God then you're betting all your money on a horse that might not even be in the race. As Paul says, "We entreat you: be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." If you haven't already, do this today, right now.
We never know what will happen tomorrow or even later today. Because of that we should never leave loving words unspoken between us and our families. Don't let your family members walk out that door or hang up that phone without telling them that you love them. Don't end a conversation on angry or mean words. Those may be the last words you speak to that person. I take this very seriously, and I have for a long time. I am around death enough that whenever my wife and/or kids go to sleep, whenever they walk out the door, or whenever I walk out the door, I always say something to them that they will cherish in their hearts if I don't come home that day or that I will cherish in my heart if they don't come home. "I love you... You mean the world to me... I'm proud of you... Have a great day... God bless you." The only words that you are guaranteed to be able to speak to your loved one are the words you are speaking to them right now. Don't waste those words.
Finally, do not withhold forgiveness and reconciliation from others, whoever they are. You don't know that you'll have a "someday" to forgive them or to come back into relationship with them. I'd be a rich man if I had a dollar for every time I've heard someone say something like, "I wish I would have just swallowed my pride and gone to see her. I had no idea something like this would happen and I'd never have the chance to say I'm sorry [or I forgive you]." Again, today is the day to be reconciled. Tomorrow may not exist for you. That may sound scary and depressing, but it is true.
4. Keep trusting in God anyway. I talked about this one at length in the Lenten Luncheon talk I gave a few weeks ago over at Grace United Methodist Church. Mature faith keeps trusting even when the valley of the shadow of death is so dark you don't know where to take your next step. As the prophet Habbakuk wrote thousands of years ago:
Though the fig tree does not blossom,
and no fruit is on the vines;
though the produce of the olive fails,
and the fields yield no food;
though the flock is cut off from the fold,
and there is no heard in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will exult in the God of my salvation.
Illogical? Possibly. Wishful thinking? Could be. But do you have a better option, a better way to avoid despair, a better way to keep moving forward, a better way to live with hope? I know that I don't.
5. The proper response to those who are suffering is not to attempt to explain their suffering, but rather to experience that suffering with them. The word "compassion" literally means "to suffer with." The truth of the matter is that we don't know why this happened. All we know is that they are absolutely devastated and in unimaginable grief. Because of this, so are we. We silently walk the road with them. It didn't happen to us. Therefore it is their difficult path to walk but we can walk it with them by praying for them and hurting with them.
Sad, sad stuff. I hate to watch it. But although we don't understand it, we can still grow in the midst of it.
Grace and Peace,
Everett
