on the Amtrak crash

  As I'm writing this post the dust is settling on the horrific Amtrak crash that sadly killed seven near Philadelphia last week. Lives being claimed by, families torn apart, and futures cut short all embodied the horrific accident on the Amtrak just last night. As we dive into these ideas and thoughts I want to make one thing extremely clear. Horrible, gruesome accidents wherever they and whatever they involve have one thing in common: all of them affect human beings in major ways. Let's dive into some ideas and thoughts about the horrific Amtrak crash.

1) The Amtrak crash shows us in real, profound ways that life isn't fair.
  Fairness is often the yard stick that we use to measure a lot in our life. It starts when we're young, "No, Brian you cannot have a cookie before dinner." My response would often be, "That's not fair." My response was often subtly cloaked with the inference behind my tone, I want it! Whether it be a cookie, A on a test, raise at work, invitation to an important event, and the list can go on and on we often pull out our fair card when we don't receive the things we want. I do find it funny and this is just a thought for you to chew on, but we hardly ever claim, "That's not fair," when we receive something unexpected that we didn't deserve. As I'm writing this I can't recall one Christmas that I handed any of my presents to my parents or grandparents and said, "It's not fair that I got this beautiful new toy take it back."

  In looking at the horrific situation that took place last night, the only conclusion that one can draw is that it is not fair why normal, ordinary people who boarded an Amtrak last week and now people are crowding churches and funeral homes to say good-bye. Answers aren't always forth coming in these tough situations. Maybe it was poor driving? Maybe it was a failure to execute in the construction of the track or vehicle? I don't know. But, one thing I do know is that few answers will bring peace. Life isn't fair in many ways, Jesus promised that he was going to prepare a place for us in his father's house (John 14:2), but we have no idea of knowing when we finally arrive at this beautiful mansion. Be thankful every minute that you're on this earth, but know your future is in God's hands alone.

2) Learn how to have a presence in life's uncomfortable moments.

  Unexpected is one of the toughest moments people have to endure during their earthly journey. Heart attacks, car accidents, brain aneurysms, strokes, accidents at work, and so on all sadly claim people way too soon. Unbearable sadness almost always grips those who experience the loss, and for us who aren't family or extremely close friends to the deceased we can't fathom the pain they're in. Since we can't relate we often find it difficult to muster up the words to say, and for many of us that means we stay away. Because we don't offend or hurt the person(s) dealing with loss more than they already are hurt.

  I will admit our intentions are often noble, but what people really need is someone that will listen to them, cry with them, and let them know they have a good friend in the midst of some very dark days. Learn how to be comfortable in the midst of situations that have few answers. But, most importantly learn how to point people to the God who has ALL the answers.