God in the Darkness

For it is the God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6 NRSV)

Yesterday morning a Middletown High School senior was killed in an auto accident on her way to school. I spent the day reflecting on that reality and I want to share a few thoughts.

First, I can't imagine what it must feel like as a member of her family to know that she is gone. They will hear many attempts at encouragement and support that mean well, but perhaps will fall far short of making them feel like they can cope with their grief. My hope is that they truly know the presence of God in the love that surrounds. My hope is that they know the promise that nothing, not even death, can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. On days like these, no matter how distant my connection to the grief, these words from the end of Romans 8 ring in my head. The words ring in my head, and yet my heart aches for their loss.

I have also been remembering my own experience as a young driver, on my way to school, when I drove my step-mother's Ford Escort into the back end of an 18 wheeler. But for the grace of God and the intelligence I had to always wear a seat belt, I WOULD NOT BE HERE. My three friends and I were very lucky to escape with one relatively minor injury, not that I'm minimizing those 52 stitches, Chris! :-) As I have seen images of the accident yesterday I have been painfully reminded of the sound of impact and the experience of seeing a mass of metal in the middle of the windshield. 

It is also with no small amount of fear and anxiety that I contemplate the ongoing journey of my own 16 year old with a learner's permit. I'm grateful for the state of Maryland that requires a lot more training than Pennsylvania did 25 years ago. I'm also grateful for my wife who will be the primary driving educator in the family (see paragraph above). While I trust him and know he will be a smart driver, I can't help but worry as he is still a teenager, and we all know how easily their minds can wander. Lord have mercy, this will be hard.

In the darkness of all my thoughts of the past 30 hours, I try to hold onto the light mentioned above in Paul's letter to the Corinthians. It is a struggle to know that terrible things like this accident happen in the world and to believe that there is a God of love who did not intervene. This world is broken, and we face things we would rather not face. Some days there is a blaring beacon of hope and sometimes it's only a glimmer of a small flame, but there is light in the darkness. The God we trust is one who went into the darkest of places. Our God went to a cross to show us that there is no place in which we can be lost. The sudden death of a young woman full of life doesn't change the reality of God's love. 

It may not seem like the "glory of God" today, but it is what I have. God's love shines in this valley despite our pain. May God's peace find its way into the hearts of all those who are standing in the dark today.