Friday, April 20, 2007 at 1:01am
Life after grief
Column: For His Glory
It's hard to gather your thoughts when such violence happens, especially when you know life will continue. The lives of those affected during the Virginia Tech rampage will never be the same; yet for those of us around the country, the reality is that we move on. The busy schedules we carry will demand our time. The relationships we foster will demand our time, and as with so many other tragic events, we will too soon put this on the back burner and move on with our lives.
This begs the question: What, then, is appropriate grief for those of us not directly affected? How long should I let the images of Monday's shooting linger in my conscience? I cannot answer that question for anyone sitting in front of this article, but I can answer it for myself. I must realize that no life taken by this young gunman should be taken in vain. I applaud Virginia Tech for giving each of the dead students their degrees. A nice token, recognizing that their positive accomplishments will be remembered. Yet, as for me, I take away the fact that each moment life gives us is precious. This may sound like a cliché, but do you really think it's less than that?
Every time I walk around, for as long as the events of this past week cross my mind, I should lift up a prayer that I might have words that dissuade someone from doing something dangerous. A simple smile, a nice compliment — anything to try lifting the burdens of others — may make the difference. Still, I know there will be times when we will do all the right and pleasant things and people like this Virginia killer will still strike. At those moments, we must just weep with those who weep, share in their pain, then use the grief to transcend the tragedy before us. We will experience grief in this life. Sept. 11 was a reminder of that, and so is Monday's rampage; yet we cannot let it destroy society. What we must do is take time to reflect on the events, learn from them and seek Christ. His teachings cannot always explain why things like this happen; nevertheless they will give you peace in the midst of the storm.
Pain and suffering are senseless and unexplainable. I wish I had words that could ease the pain of the victims' families, but I do not. They say only time will heal the pain, who knows? You and I may not have been affected directly. I just ask that you take the time to reflect once again on the event and pray to God to come soon.
"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. ... He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Revelation 21:1, 4)
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Gio Marin is an author, currently working on a master of divinity degree at Andrews Seventh-Day Adventist Theological Seminary, with a dual emphasis on systematic theology and church growth & evangelism. Visit For His Glory, the blog, and send an email to {email GioMarinColumn@aol.com}GioMarinColumn@aol.com{/email}. © copyright 2007 by Gio Marin
This begs the question: What, then, is appropriate grief for those of us not directly affected? How long should I let the images of Monday's shooting linger in my conscience? I cannot answer that question for anyone sitting in front of this article, but I can answer it for myself. I must realize that no life taken by this young gunman should be taken in vain. I applaud Virginia Tech for giving each of the dead students their degrees. A nice token, recognizing that their positive accomplishments will be remembered. Yet, as for me, I take away the fact that each moment life gives us is precious. This may sound like a cliché, but do you really think it's less than that?
Every time I walk around, for as long as the events of this past week cross my mind, I should lift up a prayer that I might have words that dissuade someone from doing something dangerous. A simple smile, a nice compliment — anything to try lifting the burdens of others — may make the difference. Still, I know there will be times when we will do all the right and pleasant things and people like this Virginia killer will still strike. At those moments, we must just weep with those who weep, share in their pain, then use the grief to transcend the tragedy before us. We will experience grief in this life. Sept. 11 was a reminder of that, and so is Monday's rampage; yet we cannot let it destroy society. What we must do is take time to reflect on the events, learn from them and seek Christ. His teachings cannot always explain why things like this happen; nevertheless they will give you peace in the midst of the storm.
Pain and suffering are senseless and unexplainable. I wish I had words that could ease the pain of the victims' families, but I do not. They say only time will heal the pain, who knows? You and I may not have been affected directly. I just ask that you take the time to reflect once again on the event and pray to God to come soon.
"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. ... He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Revelation 21:1, 4)
— — —
Gio Marin is an author, currently working on a master of divinity degree at Andrews Seventh-Day Adventist Theological Seminary, with a dual emphasis on systematic theology and church growth & evangelism. Visit For His Glory, the blog, and send an email to {email GioMarinColumn@aol.com}GioMarinColumn@aol.com{/email}. © copyright 2007 by Gio Marin