God is still good in the midst of tragedy…

my family experienced 3 sudden, un-natural, and tragic deaths this past summer/fall.  Im not with them in MD but it seems they have been coping and dealing with the tragedies as best they can.  I’ve had a couple email conversations with them recently on the topic and its helped me remember again how good God is even in the midst of things that seem so bad.

I love how Jesus responded in Luke 13 when some asked him if those who had died in a natural disaster and those who had died as a result of persecution were worse sinners than those that still alive.  Jesus, basically responded by saying – the better question is “why are you still alive? …b/c we all deserve death”

on the surface, it could seem that Jesus was being harsh, but what He was really stating is that it is a gift that you are still living and breathing right now!  bad things happen everyday and people still die tragically and naturally, but what this has stirred in me is a thankfulness that I and many others that I love are still alive and well by the grace of God – who sustains all life.