How do we just go about life, especially after being reminded in a very up close and personal way how fragile and fleeting life can be? That is the question that has been rolling around in my head after my community was rocked by tragedy last week. It seems to me, we are always caught off guard. Tragedy spins our worlds in a way that is hard to understand. We are left bewildered. After some thought, I have come to the conclusion that though unavoidable, tragedies do not necessarily have to completely derail us. The better question is how do we prepare for tragedy? Below are three things we can do to prepare.

Be Aware

Years ago, Hubby Guy took on a new role. As a chemist, he was named Hazmat 1 for our local fire department. In the role, Hubby Guy is on call 24/7. Anytime there is a call that involves a hazardous and/or an unknown substance, Hubby Guy gets paged to show up.

In the beginning, there were lots of cool points that came with the role. He got a badge that authorizes him to go beyond where the general public is stopped. He has lights on the front of his vehicle and a special tag so he can be identified by law enforcement. He has fireman boots with which to slop around on the scene, if necessary. He was issued a dress uniform. He became accepted by a close-knit group. It was the stuff of every little boy’s dreams.

The first time he was paged late in the evening was the first time the aspect of danger entered my mind. I clearly remember sitting frozen on the couch, scared until he returned home. Though I understand he has items in his lab that are easily deadly, something about rushing to an unknown in the dark hours struck a deep fear in me. Fortunately for me, I was assured that he is ushered straight to the command post when he arrives, or at least hangs near the decision-makers at a scene, as opposed to being literally knee-deep in the unknown. He is needed for his brain, not his brawn, so they take good care of him. For the most part, that has insulated me from fearing something terrible could happen to him in his role as Hazmat 1.  

We do not live in a bubble. Sometimes we can be aware of sources of potential trouble. Sometimes trouble comes seemingly from nowhere. Guaranteed, though, trouble will come. We have to be aware.

John 16:33 (CSB): I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.

Establish A Foundation

On February 1, a few miles from my house, 2 officers were killed in the line of duty at a local college. My friend Meredith has a husband in law enforcement. He responded to that call. She wrote her initial feelings about that day in her blog post entitled Thin Blue Line. I sat a few rows behind her family in church this week. My eyes kept wandering back to her. I could not stop thinking about how, in her case, when her Hubby Guy responds to a call, she does not have the same assurances I have. Her Hubby Guy runs into the middle of danger on a regular basis. She has to look elsewhere for stability in the face of certain fear.

I heard a message this week from Robb Schmidgall of National Community Church. The line he said that captured my attention was, “Complexity is the enemy of execution.”

Schmidgall was talking about the dream God has for each of us concerning who He has purposed us to become. His premise was we need to build a singular foundation on Jesus and build our whole lives on it. When we can depend on our foundation, come what may, we have an unfailing strength in the face of adversity. If we, instead, choose to have multiple foundations for instance on family, career, and community, we have plates spinning in multiple places. When one falls, it starts a chain reaction. The complexity of the situation is the enemy of a clear path forward.

Apart from being a friend, Meredith is a wife, mother, writer, leader, daughter, and many other things. Her life, just like everyone else, is nuanced. I am making an educated guess here, but if asked which role leads in importance, I am sure she would say Jesus follower. That is the singular relationship that will sustain us in the midst of every life circumstance, good or bad.

Meredith has her foundation in order, but we all get to choose. We can seek comfort in temporal or build on the eternal.

Psalm 18:2 (CSB): The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock where I seek refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Grow and Change

Another thing Schmidgall said was, “The dream that got you where you are isn’t the dream that will get you where you are going.”

Everything is constantly changing. The fact remains, we were each created for a purpose. Purpose does not keep us from experiencing trouble. Instead, we feel our feelings, we respond, we mind our priorities, and we keep on living. Life is messy. Tragedy happens. We live in the midst of both terrible pain and beauty unspeakable. Our lives are richer for it. But, we have to grow and change to maintain our progress and stability.

God knows. All the things… the good, the bad, and the ugly. They all are woven together to spur us on toward his purpose for us. As we grow and change, we are better prepared for whatever is next.  

2 Peter 3: 17-18 (CSB): Therefore, dear friends, since you know this in advance, be on your guard, so that you are not led away by the error of lawless people and fall from your own stable position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity.