I remember reading the book "All Quiet on the Western Front" in high school. I found probably the most clear example of what I would call tragedy.
There are two soldiers who have been best friends throughout the war (World War I, I think), and they have been through all kinds of terrible situations together. They have narrowly escaped death a number of times, they have been in and out of foreign prisons, and have watched each other's backs through everything. They have seen many of their fellow soldiers killed. I think that soldiers often try to prevent building emotional connections with other people during war, because there is such a high likelihood that those around them will be killed, and it is easier to see someone you don't care about die. Well, in this book, these two did not follow that model. They were close. During a relatively quiet time in the war, one of the two soldiers gets knocked unconscious by what I believe was a grenade blast, but he was still alive and would recover. The other picks him up on his shoulders and, using all the strength in his sore and hungry body, starts running through the woods to get him to safety. One can imagine the extremely intense fear going on here.
While he was running, another grenade went off in the distance, and a small shard of shrapnel flew from it and went through the unconscious soldier's head. It took the running soldier a while to realize what had happened. His friend died silently, by a complete freak accident, a tiny shred of metal flying at random through the woods and hitting him where it was most sure to kill him.
How is one to even process something like this? There is absolutely no apparent purpose to what happened - he just died. The only friend this soldier had was taken away for no reason at all. He made it through so much danger - thousands of bullets, mortars, mines, bombs, that COULD have killed him, but in this one quiet, safe forest, that one little piece of metal was determined to end his life.
Sin is always tragedy. Genesis 3 introduced it into the world, and it is all around us and very often inside of us.
People die, they get betrayed, they hurt you and leave you feeling empty. They do things that show that they are not who you thought they were. Sin is everywhere.
I get depressed sometimes. I feel like almost all there is to life is tragedy. In my easy, comfortable, full-of-ridiculous blessings life, I have seen some tragedies that have taken a serious toll on my heart. I see them everywhere because I am a very sensitive person. I have lost friends and been hurt by people. I have seen potential joys fall into ruin. My desires are sometimes held right in front of my face and then yanked away from me.
People like myself tend to be in tragic places because they are bad at preventing it. I am by nature a reciever, not a giver. A follower, not a leader, a reactor and not an initiator. Something about that means that tragedy is attracted to me. As Proverbs 18:9 says, "One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys." I think that relates somehow, though I'm not sure how to explain it. Instead of actively causing tragedy, I will just sit back and let it happen. I'm no better than the destroyer.
It would be easy for me to just be completely bitter. To let my soul shrivel up and become hard, crusty, angry, calloused, cold. That's WHAT THE WORLD WILL DO TO YOU. It will wear you down until you can't keep going. It will suck your optimism away and give you nothing in return.
But, there is a name and a word that are greater.
Jesus, and Victory.
What else do we have? Without Him there is no such thing as victory. There is only tragedy, death, pain, bitterness.
But time and time again I find that if I am to have any hope in this life, I have to believe that there is a true and real victory that is more powerful than any of the deepest, most twisted tragedy.
It doesn't matter how abused you have been, how many times you have been lied to or stabbed in the back, how many loves have been torn apart,
Really there is no other hope than to believe in the victory that Jesus has won, has bought, and extends to us.
I have found that there are no other words of life other than the ones from His mouth.
No one else can offer what He does.
Jesus offers a return to the innocence and purity that was in Adam before the fall. What is more tragic than the loss of innocence? Nothing is more beautiful than innocence - than purity of heart. The ultimate essence of beauty is found in something that is unstained by the world, as James 1:27 says. The world stains us. Jesus washes us. He makes beautiful things out of wretched things.
The very idea of beauty died so long ago, but sometimes I catch a glimpse of You. At the call of Your name, at the touch of another's hand. I see this place as Adam once saw Eden.
I don't think anyone is quite who they want to be. I certainly know that I'm not. I fail so many people in so many ways on a daily basis. My heart is constantly wandering and is full of lies.
But again, I have to believe that there is something that can restore me. And, as a result of God's unsurpassed love, there IS. No matter how twisted I am, I am not beyond restoration.
VICTORY WILL ALWAYS TRIUMPH OVER TRAGEDY.
It's not easy to believe, but I have to believe that. That is my hope. That is everyone's hope.
Fix your eyes on the One who authored a perfect world, who is Himself perfect, and who walked in flesh on Earth in order to give us the only victory that gives us the ability to overcome the cursed sicknesses of this world. Cling to that hope, because it's all we have. It's all that keeps us from a steep fall into depression and bitterness.
Praise the only true King.
