According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the Oxford English Dictionary is the most comprehensive single-language print dictionary in the world. It is widely regarded as the accepted authority on the English language capturing well over 600,000 words, one million quotations and a wealth of informative phrases and commentaries.
But try finding the right blend of words to say to someone who has just experienced the most gut wrenching tragedy and it’s as if our familiarity with the English language becomes surprisingly foreign, leaving us with an unusual state of verbal paralysis. No profound spiritual response. No deep, insightful message. No meaningful discernment. All most of us can think to say at such a difficult time is, “I’m so sorry.”
Isn’t it amazing how words often escape us when a serious crisis or tragedy occurs? Instead of revealing our natural, distinctive wit to say something comforting, caring and considerate—we have a tendency to become silent, tongue-tied or not quite sure what to say. My guess is that we too are struggling with the horrific shock of the event, trying desperately to make sense of it all and frantically searching to identify that perfect flow of words. It’s during these challenging moments that we want so badly to offer words of encouragement and reassurance. But often what we want to say is not always the best or most helpful at that time. Sometimes an overindulgence of words can get misplaced and even misunderstood when people are suffering. Most people are usually so emotionally traumatized by an unexpected misfortune that the kindest of words can’t begin to penetrate the surface of their pain. Now, that’s not to say that we shouldn’t extend our support. But what’s most important, in our pursuit to help others, is to offer them the key essential ingredients for healing—prayer, faith and hope.
Dealing with tragedy, of any kind, is devastatingly difficult and rears its ugly head in various forms. A parent’s worst nightmare is to receive that dreadful call in the middle of the night or startled by a knock on the door from a police officer delivering the horrifying news that their child has been killed in an accident, murdered by some demented lunatic or reported missing because they never arrived at school. There are no magic words or miraculous cures that can alleviate the pain of a grieving mother or father who has lost a child. Comforting hugs won’t wipe away the sadness of a little girl’s hopeless spirit after losing her parents at a very young age. Soothing expressions can’t repair the mental and emotional anguish and damage of a young woman who was repeatedly raped by her father during the most innocent and precious years of her life. Gifts and tokens of kindness can’t compensate for the promising, lucrative career of a star athlete whose legs were amputated as a result of a serious car accident. A Spiritual Counselor or therapist can’t explain nor erase the devastating memory of a parent trying to fathom why their healthy, vibrant teenager committed suicide.
Tragedy is a very real, uninvited phenomenon that can overwhelm you—catching you totally off guard, unprepared and leaving you numb with fear and trepidation. And, regardless of how strong or even how infallible you may think you are—life is incredibly delicate and has the unintentional capacity to be terribly cruel especially when you’re faced with the unpredictable catastrophes that can destroy and desecrate your life. Even in spite of one’s level of resilience—life crisis are incorrigible creatures, causing unnecessary complications, untimely circumstances and horrific obstacles.
The truth is—none of us are immune from bad things. I honestly believe that most of us could tolerate suffering if we had just the slightest indication as to why it was happening. For instance, a pregnant woman understands that the excruciating, agonizing pains of labor are all part of the delivery process and most importantly—new life. But it’s the irrational, unpredictable events that are so perplexing—forcing us to believe that such an awful occurrence had to be triggered by some immoral or indecent act on our part and the consequences of that tragedy is our deserving punishment. But this couldn’t be further from the truth because God doesn’t work that way. It would be contradictory to God’s character to believe this. God can’t be good and evil—it goes against His very nature.
The stories you are about to read are true. They are not fiction. They are not stories made up for emotional appeal. They are miracle stories featuring persons who fought hard to not only deal with their pain but how they spent years trying to mask it from others. Now they travel the road of healing and have been released from the mental and emotional bondage so that they can speak freely about the love of Almighty God and how His grace endured them through the most difficult period in their lives.
As you read the personal testimonies in this book—you may think that the suffering endured by these individuals, in comparison to something you’ve either directly or indirectly experienced, is not all that bad. But, as the younger generation would say, “don’t get it twisted”. Remember, my pain is not your pain and your test is not my test. And as the wise and sensible older generation would say—we all have our cross to bear.
In spite of what anyone else may think, a tragic ordeal is valid to the one going through it. You may not always understand your test, why God chose you to take it or if you have the wherewithal to endure it. But one thing for sure, as you experience life’s trials and tribulations—you will begin to know God for yourself and how His power and the power of prayer will begin to resonate within your spirit giving you the strength to press onward toward a place of peace and solitude.