As runner myself I knew in the back of my mind that the Boston Marathon was on Monday. I hope to run it one day. I have a lot of things on my mind so I had not really focused on the race. I did know at least one person who was running it so I would have checked on it later. Then late in the afternoon, an alert came through on my phone "Reports of an explosion near the finish line of the Boston Marathon."
I stared at it for a second trying to comprehend what I had just read. Then came another alert from the Detroit Free Press, followed by ESPN, then the Huffington Post, then our local TV station, and on and on. This was real yet I still couldn't believe it. I got on the web to see what was happening, apparently along with everyone else, as the video feed crashed on both CNN and NBC News. Then I thought of my friend, so I went straight to Facebook and saw he had already posted that he had already finished and he was okay. Thank goodness! But as we later learned, there are over a hundred others who were not okay and 3 others who will never be okay. A senseless act of aggression had robbed people and the nation and even the world of their time when they should be celebrating.
Many people are asking "why?" including myself. We don't have answers yet and it may be a long time before we get an answer of at least who or whom is responsible for this devastation. But I have also been asked why God would allow such things to happen. This question always comes up when there are tragedies. We want to believe in a good God that protects the innocent especially in this case. So how can this all powerful being allow such things to happen?
But to answer that question, I have to use another question: Why did God allow Cain to kill his brother Abel? Why did God allow Israel to be conquered? Why did God allow Stephen to be killed and the list can go on there is well. The answer is that humanity has always had the choice to do such things. But it does not mean that God is absent. I believe that God was the first to shed tears of sorrow and God knew the victims pain, their families pain and even our pain before we knew.
Tragedy also gives us a chance to see the goodness of humanity as is measured by their response. As the video shows, once the first bomb went off, the scene was not of panic but instead, help. People did not run away but instead, they ran right to the source to offer what assistance they could. The quote that quickly began to make it's way around social media from Mr. Rogers is absolutely true. "Look at the help." Look at the people who rushed into danger to help save someone.
I listened to two triage nurses who were on sight to help with the runners. Quickly they had to switch modes that they were working under. They too spoke of how everyone wanted to help whether it was by having trauma experience, to simply getting water, or wheel chairs, or helping to move a stretcher, to even praying over them. As they both spoke about how they reacted one said something like, we treat everyone as if they can be saved and we have the belief that we can save them all.
This is a tragedy no question. Many people and the city of Boston will be dealing with it for some time. But what is amazing that in the midst of this evil, we saw the goodness of people, God's people, far outnumber the individual or individuals who perpetrated this evil. Goodness outnumbered them yesterday and will outnumber them today and will always outnumber them. The apostle Paul reminds us in the scriptures that we should not grow weary in doing what is right. The responders didn't. He also reminds us that there is nothing in this world, nothing in life, nor even death, no nothing can ever separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. While there is sadness and grief today, the love of God showed itself more fully yesterday and today and will continue to shine for the world to see.
Please continue to pray for them and for all people, and share the love of God as they recover from this tragedy.
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