When tragedy strikes — a hurricane, a fire, a diagnosis or a sudden loss — the human heart instinctively searches for meaning. But the paths we take in that search often diverge. For some, …
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When tragedy strikes — a hurricane, a fire, a diagnosis or a sudden loss — the human heart instinctively searches for meaning. But the paths we take in that search often diverge. For some, suffering leads to despair, anger or even protest. For others, it becomes a doorway to deeper faith, inner healing and spiritual renewal.
Yet, when a headline begins with words too horrific to ignore: a school shooting, a brutal assault, a child trafficked, or a martyr falls to the assassin’s bullet, something more than a tragedy has entered the scene.
Pure EVIL has risen its ugly head. When this occurs, the human soul recoils. The question is no longer “Why did this happen?” but “How could anyone do this?”
In moments like these, the divide between belief and unbelief becomes painfully clear. For the non-believer, evil is a philosophical problem or a psychological abnormality. For the believer, it is a spiritual reality — ancient, active and ultimately defeated.
When tragedy is senseless and evil is overt, secular society often responds with outrage. Protests erupt. Blame is assigned. Politicians posture. Social media floods with hashtags and fury. It is hard to fathom that many even side with the evil and seek to JUSTIFY the actions, suggesting they were deserved and that more should follow.
Beneath the noise lies a deeper ache: the inability to reconcile human dignity (made in the image of God) with human depravity (all are sinners).
For the believer, evil is not surprising. Scripture warns of it. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). But Scripture also offers hope: “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21).
When tragedy strikes, the faithful gather — not to riot, but to repent. Not to curse the darkness, but to light candles of prayer, worship and witness. In the face of evil, believers do not collapse — they rise.
The Christian worldview does not minimize evil. It names it. It confronts it. And it points to the cross, where the worst evil ever committed — the crucifixion of the sinless Son of God—became the means of eternal salvation.
This is the paradox of faith: that God can take what man meant for evil and use it for good (Genesis 50:20). That revival can come through ruin. That the blood of martyrs becomes the seed of the church.
In recent days across the country, Believers have responded to unspeakable acts with unmistakable grace. Prayer vigils have replaced protests. Baptisms have followed funerals. And in the shadow of death, the Gospel has shone brighter than ever.
The real distinction between the actions of Believers and Non-Believers, is found in the words of the wife of Martyr Charlie Kirk … “I FORGIVE YOU”, (Erika Kirk).
