Tragedy

This has a lot of truth to it, but it's also important to have perspective. There's a big difference between having "a hard time" and having "a hard life", as I recently blogged about.

But, when a real tragedy occurs, it's important to keep your stability and kick anyone out of your boat if they continually capsize your peace - whether deliberately, or by accident. Speaking about a tremendous personal tragedy, someone told me, "God meant for this to happen, and it's happened for a reason, and He has a plan, (yadda yadda yadda)." They meant well, but they had no clue what they should say, so instead of offering support, they brought God into it. In reply, I said, "That would make God a real dick, and a respecter of persons. I refuse to believe that. Sometimes, life just happens, and God doesn't personally have a hand in it."

There are few things more painful for a Christian in a time of tragedy, suffering, or extreme hardship than someone telling them that God's "testing" them or "sent" a specific difficulty hurtling through the universe aimed directly at that particular individual for some "divine purpose". If God did not Himself personally appear before you and expound the details of someone else's circumstances, then it's in good taste to keep your mouth shut about His intentions for that person.