We had two terrible and tragic events here in Chilliwack this week that shook our community. Both were accidents that were avoidable and both left a lasting and devastating impact on the families involved.
The first was a tragic accident at our Leisure Centre where a young girl, 4 years old, drowned in the pond outside the centre on Monday evening. She was playing close to the edge and fell in. Family members and bystanders were quick to respond but it was too late. Being a grandpa of a three year old little girl this hit especially close to home!
The second accident took place on Tuesday afternoon. I was returning home from work in Surrey and got caught up in the traffic on the highway, backed up from Chilliwack all the way to Abbotsford. The highway was a parking lot, nothing moving at all. What was normally a 30 minute drive from Abbotsford took almost 3 hours! A young mum and her son were amongst a couple of people killed in a 6 car accident on the highway just outside of Chilliwack, causing the highway in both directions to be closed down. They had swerved to avoid a ladder on the highway that had fallen out of a truck, leading to a terrible accident and tragedy.
It is scary to think that in an instant an unplanned for or unforeseen event can so radically change our lives and those around us. I got over the long wait in the traffic pretty quickly, but those families live with this tragedy for the rest of their lives! So what do we do when life defies logic and understanding and rushes in on us in a most expected way? How do we cope with the aftermath of tragedy and unexpected life changing events? When the rug is pulled out from under our feet, where do we turn?
Can I encourage you to remember that God is NEVER caught off guard! He is Sovereign over all things and over every event in our lives. We may not be able to understand at times why God would allow such tragedy or pain in people’s lives, but we can know without doubt that the God of unplanned for and unexpected events is in control. There is no need for understanding or answers to the question ‘why?’, there is no need for fear, there is no need for hopelessness – We can have hope even in the middle of our pain.
Our hope at such times can only be found in Him – the unchanging, always present, constantly loving and caring God who even in such tragedy will gently lift us and carry us ‘through the storm’. We are safe in His hands.
Maybe you need to hear this today, or maybe there is someone you know that has suffered loss or been surprised by an unexpected event that has shaken their world that needs to be reminded that there is hope and peace to be found in God. So draw close to Him. Lean into Him. Find strength in His strong arms.
PRAY FOR THE FAMILIES IN CHILLIWACK:
