What's left after tragedy

When we feel abandoned, alone, and lost, what is left to us? What do I have, what do you have, what do any of us have left except the overpowering temptation to rail against God and to blame him for our misery, to blame him and cry out against him for not caring? What's left to us when that which we love most has been taken?

I will tell you what's left, three profound blessings. In his first letter to the Corinthians, Saint Paul tells us exactly what they are: faith, hope, and love. These gifts, which are the foundation of eternity, God has given to us and he's given us complete control over them. Even in the darkest night, it's still within our power to hold faith. We can still embrace hope. And although we ourselves feel unloved, we can still stand steadfast in our love for others and for God. All this is in our control. God gave us these gifts and he does not take them back. It is we who choose to discard them.

In your dark night, I urge you to hold to your faith, to embrace hope, and to bear your love before you like a burning candle, for I promise it will light your way.

And whether you believe in miracles or not, I can guarantee that you will experience one. It may not be the miracle you prayed for. God probably won't undo what's been done. The miracle is this: that you will rise in the morning and be able to see again the startling beauty of the day.

Jesus suffered the dark night and death, and on the third day he rose again through the grace of his loving father.  For each of us, the sun sets, and the sun also rises, and through the grace of our Lord we can endure our own dark night and rise to the dawning of a new day and rejoice.

Ordinary Grace by William Kent Kruger