April 16, two years later... what have I learned?
1. There's a whole lot about life -- and good and evil -- that we don't understand, even after time passes.
2. Tragedy does not automatically make us more sensitive to good things. It may harden us toward God, or it may soften us. Or it may just feel like nothing at all, like numbness, and all you want to do is forget.
3. Should we expect a spiritual harvest after such events? Not necessarily; there are other considerations.
4. We want grace to be gratuitous, and come to expect it. We don't expect evil to be gratuitous, and we do not expect it.
5. Nightmares can come true, and fear -- once palpably felt -- cannot be lightly dismissed.
6. We need other people, and their presence can be a tremendous comfort. Our common humanity is a
very real thing.
7. Russian authors begin to make sense.
8. Finally, it takes time to heal from trauma, and there are no short cuts. Tragedy affects people physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. There is no quick way, or even a spiritual-only way, to heal all things in this life. The wiping away of every tear awaits Christ's return (Revelation 7:17; 21:4), and the final healing comes only with the physical touch of the nail-pierced hand upon our faces.
1. There's a whole lot about life -- and good and evil -- that we don't understand, even after time passes.
2. Tragedy does not automatically make us more sensitive to good things. It may harden us toward God, or it may soften us. Or it may just feel like nothing at all, like numbness, and all you want to do is forget.
3. Should we expect a spiritual harvest after such events? Not necessarily; there are other considerations.
4. We want grace to be gratuitous, and come to expect it. We don't expect evil to be gratuitous, and we do not expect it.
5. Nightmares can come true, and fear -- once palpably felt -- cannot be lightly dismissed.
6. We need other people, and their presence can be a tremendous comfort. Our common humanity is a
very real thing.
7. Russian authors begin to make sense.
8. Finally, it takes time to heal from trauma, and there are no short cuts. Tragedy affects people physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. There is no quick way, or even a spiritual-only way, to heal all things in this life. The wiping away of every tear awaits Christ's return (Revelation 7:17; 21:4), and the final healing comes only with the physical touch of the nail-pierced hand upon our faces.
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