It’s so easy for those of us on the outside to offer encouragement to those in the middle by saying, “It will be alright. God has a plan, and though we may not understand why these things are happening right now, we can trust that He’s got it all under control.”
It’s just so easy to say this when you’re not personally in the midst of tragedy and suffering. Yeah, we can try to put ourselves in their shoes, but we still have our rational mindset. We aren’t deeply reflecting on life and death and struggling to the extent that they are.
We may have been in those shoes at some point. And no matter how much we have convinced ourselves that we will not be shaken by anything, sure enough that one thing comes along that we just cannot handle. We can prepare for the hard times all we want, but that doesn’t mean we act according to plan when our human emotions get in the way.
Therefore, we cannot brush aside the pain of others in the midst of tragedy right now. They are hurting, and they don’t want to hear that God has a plan, no matter how true that may be. They probably aren’t mad at God, but they might be if we relate Him in any way to the causation. No, this destruction was not a part of His plan. But healing and restoration, love and mercy are all a part of it.
Focus on the healing, not the plan. Pray. Not as a meaningless hash tag. But earnestly pray for this healing. And love in any way you can. It’s tough right now, but restoration will occur.
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