It was not my intention to write an additional post about the tragedy that occurred this week. I received a comment though that I felt had to be addressed because it is the question that we have all asked in times like this.

How can this kind of thing happen to innocent, kind, and amazing people?

In the beginning we were not meant to die. This changed because sin entered the world through man’s disobedience, and it will remain until Christ returns to set things right permanently. What sets Christianity apart from every other religion in the world is that we serve a living Savior who knows human suffering. Every emotion, every desire, every pain we ever feel, He has felt.

We live in a broken world. God gave us free will because He desires a real relationship with us and He wants us to seek Him. Sadly, that free will often comes with consequences like the one we have experienced in the passing of this sweet mom. In this case, the consequences were not because of her actions, but the actions of the driver of the car.

Since this tragedy occurred, there has been an amazing outpouring of love and glory brought to God. You must always remember that God is good. Many lives are being touched by this, and Meg placed her Savior Jesus at the core of her life. Don’t be deceived by the enemy, because he would have you believe that God is unjust.

We may be willing to thank God when things are going well, but we must also praise Him in the storms of our lives. We will honor the legacy of Meg if we trust God even while we do not understand. His grace is sufficient to cover the gravest of poor choices and deepest pain, and He can bring the greatest good out of this tragedy. He is our hope.

Because Jesus experienced every human emotion, we can trust Him to understand our pain. What sets Him apart from us is that He is also fully God. The only One ever to live without sin, He was uniquely qualified to forgive the sins of those He ministered to while He lived on earth, and He is still qualified while He sits at the right hand of God.

Jesus showed compassion to those others found detestable. He loved every single soul in the world so much that He chose to sacrifice His own life so that we could live in eternity with Him. He gave us the ultimate gift.

When we sin, we create a separation from Him. His sacrifice bridges that gap. We cannot earn salvation; it is a free gift to us through Jesus’ death on the cross. The enemy would have you believe that you are not good enough to be saved or that you are too far gone. To accept that lie is to trivialize what Christ did for us.

Meg saw the grace Jesus offered by believing in Him as her Lord and Savior. She knew it was His gift to her, and in return, she chose to live a life that honored Him. It is His gift to all of us. We only have to say yes. Because Meg said yes, she now runs in the presence of Jesus.

John 3:16 (ESV)

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.