Hard to Understand

There are some things in life that are just hard to understand. Some things that just make you wonder... One of those things that has recently been hard for myself and many other people I know to understand is the terrible, evil murder and dismembering of an innocent 8 year old boy. He was innocently on his way home from day camp. His parents didn't want him to walk alone for safety reasons, but he convinced them that he was old enough to do so. Plus, they lived in a Jewish community, so I'm sure he figured he could just ask someone if he got lost. So even though his parents went over the route with him to be sure he safely knew his way home, that is just what happened. He got lost, was going in the wrong direction. He decided to ask a man from his community to help him find his way home. This man told him he would help him after he went in and paid a bill. When he came out he took the boy in his car with him, but sadly, the boy never made it home. This man, police determined from scratches struggled with the boy, killed him, and cut his body up in pieces and stuffed the pieces in some luggage and put it in a dumpster. This story has made me so sad, and it's one of those things that I really just find hard to understand. What do you say to those poor parents? What do we say to those around us who may not understand this tragedy? We need to be careful how we respond, sometimes we offer up a quick, easy, "Christian" response such as, "Well, this must have been the Lord's will and we just have to accept it and trust Him." I think we would all agree that that would be a callous, cruel thing to say to them during this time. There are times like these where there really are no words, and sometimes it's just best to pray for them and just show them that you care about their hurt. That's what they need more than anything, not just easy words for you to say, because you cannot understand what they are feeling. Sometimes words like that can cause more hurt and pain than help.

It's hard to understand a senseless death. It's hard to understand the death of a family member who was so loved and needed by the family. Someone who was the stabilizing force for that family, that seems taken away too soon. It's hard to understand how someone who works so hard and goes above and beyond in all that they do losing a job. People who have families to support and try to find a job, but are unable to, when there are some that don't try. It's hard to understand people who take the lives of little children, but seem to get away with it. It's hard to understand the terrible diseases that some people get that threaten their well-being, threaten their life and limb. It's hard to understand someone who loves his/her country so much that they are willing to fight for it, only to lose limbs or life to people with so much hatred in their hearts. It's hard to understand the devastation some countries and some states have to deal with. The list could go on and on. But the thing to remember if we ever have the opportunity to talk to people who are dealing with these things or are affected by these things, don't be a "miserable comforter" as Job's friends were through part of his suffering times. Sometimes just saying nothing, but showing you care can mean more than any quick, easy words. Pray and seek the Lord for them, that is always a very welcome help.
Lord, it is hard to understand certain things that happen in this life. We as Christians know that you are in control and you will help us through, but help us to be careful not to offer up vain, easy, quick words to make the person "feel better". Help us to remember sometimes it's better to just encourage through prayer and care. Thank you for those you have provided to pray and care for us in our times of need. Help us not to forget our times of need, remembering how we feel, and what we need to help us, and help us to be that for someone else. Help us to trust you more with so many of these things that we just find hard to understand. And Lord, please be with the family of this little boy who died so senselessly, in such a tragic and awful way. Please comfort them and give them your peace, and if they don't know you, please bring them to a saving knowledge of you.