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Tragedy

Oct 29
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The Hardest Question to Answer

By Anxiety, Doubt, Tragedy, Trials, Will of God, Worry No Comments

Unexpected loss.
Unpaid expenses.
Unhealthy test results.
Unclear expectations.
Unrealistic goals.
Unmet needs.

Trials can take various forms, but often they drive us to the point of despair. Some relationships never heal. Some illnesses never go away. Some dreams remain out of reach. Some burdens never ease. Some problems have no solutions. Frustration, anger, loneliness, and even depression are common outcomes to the difficulties we face. Perhaps the most puzzling and bewildering question underneath all our struggles is why?

Why is God letting this happen? Why now? Why me? Why? Why? Why? Like you, I have wrestled with this difficult question numerous times in my life. The most obvious season of doubt came when my son was diagnosed with cancer several years ago. But there have been other moments of uncertainty that plagued my life as well. Disappointment and hardship of any kind, whether it be great or small, can leave us wrestling with our Creator in search of answers.

Over the years, both my experience and my study of Scripture have taught me at least three valuable lessons about navigating life’s adversities.

First, it is okay to ask God why. Occasionally, well-meaning Christians and Bible teachers will either explicitly or implicitly caution that asking God why is out of bounds. Yet, Scripture nowhere teaches that it is sinful to call out to God about His plans or purposes. A quick survey of the biblical record demonstrates the point.

Outside of Jesus, no one suffered more than Job, who consequently asked God why no less than twenty different times (EX: Job 3:11-12, 7:20-21, 13:24, 21:7). Moses asked God why He sent him to lead the nation of Israel (Ex 5:22). Joshua asked God why He was allowing Israel to be destroyed (Joshua 7:7). The prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah asked God why He dealt so harshly with Israel (Is 63:17; Jer 14:19). Perhaps most stunning of all, however, is the remarkable lament of Jesus on the cross when He cried, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me (Matt 27:46)?”

In none of these instances will you find God irritated or angry because of the inquiry. Questioning His work in your life is permissible even though demanding an answer is not. Feel free to ask God why, just don’t chastise Him if you do not like the response or the lack thereof. Our Lord’s compassion makes sense if you simply think about your children. I never resent the confused questions of my sons or daughters. In fact, I am eager to reassure them that everything will be okay when they are hurting. Even when I withhold information from them, I do so out of love and concern rather than exasperation. Surely, this is how God hears our pleas for information!

Second, Jesus really is enough. The issue is not whether God is real, but whether He is enough during seasons of discomfort. Scripture is resolute that God will never leave nor forsake His people (Deut. 31:6; Heb. 13:5). Jesus promised rest to those who are weary and heavy-laden (Matt. 11:28-29). These realities are theologically true, and yet, we usually cannot appreciate them fully until we need them the most. Difficult experiences allow us to put our biblical knowledge to the test. Much like Job, we find out that having Jesus in our lives is better than the answers or explanations He might provide to explain our plight (Job 38:1-41:34).

Knowing God will bear your burdens is quite different from watching Him do it. Believing the Father will answer your prayers is powerful, but not like waiting for Him to do so. Though our experiences are never the source of new truth, they can enhance our understanding of existing truth. Simply put, trials force us to depend upon and live out what we inwardly know.

Third, faith does not give us the power to eliminate trials, but to endure them instead. I do not mean to suggest that God cannot or does not work miracles in our lives today. The notion, however, that any trial or sickness can disappear by means of faith is patently false. Sometimes God develops us through trials rather than rescuing us from them (James 1:2-4). Prayerfully, I trust that I will be a better man because of the hardships that come my way. According to Scripture, endurance is something to celebrate, not avoid (2 Cor. 12:7-9).

Ultimately, we cannot always answer the question why? Even then, our lack of knowledge should not result in a lack of faith. When ignorance assaults our peace of mind, we should continue to persevere in the wisdom of God (Prov. 3:7).

Adam B. Dooley
October 29, 2025

Sep 24
Love0

Erika Kirk and the Scandal of the Gospel

By Christian Living, Forgiveness, Gospel, Grace, Grief, Sin, Tragedy No Comments

Her words were just as shocking as the tragic events that took place eleven days earlier. As 70,000 people packed into State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, and an additional 20,000 gathered in overflow venues like Desert Diamond Arena, over 100 million onlookers joined the memorial service by streaming it online while another 20 million tuned in through traditional television means. All were there to honor the remarkable life of Charlie Kirk, and a holy hush fell over the gathering when his widow, Erika Kirk stood to offer a few words.

The fact that she was able to speak at all was just as remarkable to me as whatever she intended to say. Frankly, I am not sure what I expected, but I was unprepared for what came next. “On the cross, our Savior said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they not know (sic) what they do.’ That man, that young man, I forgive him. I forgive him because it’s what Christ did. And it’s what Charlie would do.” She continued, “The answer to hate is not hate. The answer, we know from the gospel, is love. Always love. Love for our enemies. Love for those who persecute us.”

The moment was breathtaking. But may I be painfully transparent for a moment? Initially, those words were just as insulting as they were inspiring to me. I am ashamed to admit it, but in my weakness, forgiveness is the last thing I wanted to hear from Erika Kirk. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit quickly convicted me.

Forgiveness, you see, ranks near the top of the things we are most grateful to receive and near the bottom of things that we are most willing to give. Idioms like bury the hatchet and let them off the hook remind us that showing compassion is tough primarily because it seems equal to diminishing the pain others cause us. Yet, for Christians, unforgiveness is not just unbiblical, but also irrational due to the sheer magnitude of God’s grace in our lives.

The scandal of the gospel is that God the Father chose to pour His wrath upon His own Son in order to set vile sinners free (Isa. 53:10). Because all of us are like sheep that have gone astray, Jesus was smitten and afflicted by His own Father as our transgression, iniquity, and chastening fell upon Him (Isa. 53:4-6).

Granted, some sins are more offensive than others, but all sins leave us guilty and without excuse before a holy God. Thus, the just suffered for the unjust. The righteous died for the unrighteous. Christ pleaded for our forgiveness even as He purchased it on the cross. The moment you feel deserving of grace while assuming that others are not, you only prove that you do not understand grace. Erika Kirk powerfully reminded us that those who receive grace ought to be the most eager to grant it.

When Peter asked Jesus how many times we should forgive those who sin against us, he expounded his question with what he thought was a gracious suggestion. “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times? (Mat. 18:21)” Though the number seems arbitrary to us, Jewish rabbis taught that believers were only required to forgive the same offense three times. By suggesting amnesty as many as seven times, Peter was more than doubling what common sense seemed to require.

Wishing to deepen our understanding of God’s mercy toward us, Jesus intentionally exaggerated, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven (Matt. 18:22).” His point was not that after 490 acts of leniency our benevolence should run out. To the contrary, our Savior’s expectation is that we forgive again and again because this is exactly how God treats us. We might be quick to retort, why would anyone repeat the same offense over and over? What kind of fool would be so ridiculous? Indeed. And yet, our continued rebellion against God follows the same predictable and absurd pattern. In order to forgive others as God has forgiven us, there can be no limit to the grace we are willing to show.

Admittedly, practical questions emerge, as we try to be faithful to Jesus’ directive in the real world. Are we obligated to forgive a person who does not want our forgiveness? Or someone who does not repent of their wrongdoing? At this point, there are no indicators that Tyler Robinson has any remorse whatsoever for his sinful transgression against Charlie Kirk. Therefore, understanding the difference between giving and receiving forgiveness is crucial here. Remember, God offers grace to multitudes that refuse to welcome it. We, too, should be willing to give what others are unwilling to receive (Matt. 6:14-15).

Aside from the theological consistency of doing so, letting go of our grievances toward others is also good for us. Apart from forgiveness, you will continually think about the offense that caused you harm, keeping you emotionally bound to the person who hurt you. Waiting for an apology that never comes is like repeatedly tearing the scab off a wound. Why should we be willing to give those who scar us so much control over our lives? When a root of bitterness takes hold of your heart, you have allowed your enemy to prevent your continued growth in the Lord (Heb. 12:14-15).

But shouldn’t there be consequences for sin? Simply put, yes. The fear of diminishing what happened to us creates reasonable longings for justice and even vindication (Amos 5:24). We must realize, however, that granting a person forgiveness is not the same as setting them free from outcomes of their actions. Employees who steal ought to lose their jobs. Students who cheat ought to fail. Those who break the law ought to go to jail. Assassins who murder innocent citizens ought to face the death penalty. Though counterintuitive, consequences can be a blessing that leads us to repentance and life change. Ultimately, we should trust the Lord to decide the repercussions others face for their sins (Rom. 12:19-21).

But what if I cannot forget what happened to me? Chances are, you won’t. Perhaps no other cliché has done more damage to our understanding of forgiveness than the notion of forgive and forget. Putting painful experiences out our minds is often impossible. Thankfully, biblical forgiveness does not require us to be gullible or naïve. Refusing to dwell on the offenses of our enemies does not mean that we should repeatedly put ourselves in harm’s way. Even when consequences must remain, we can choose not to be bound by the past wickedeness of others and even pray God’s best over their lives.

At this point, if you do not believe God is doing something remarkable in our nation, you just aren’t paying attention. I am thankful for Erika Kirk’s bold forgiveness and for the scandal of the gospel. The Lord is using a grieving widow to remind us all just how desperately we need grace.

Adam B. Dooley
September 24, 2025

Oct 01
Love0

Hurricanes, Floods, and Lies We Believe

By Grace, Repentance, Tragedy, Trials No Comments

Hurricanes, Floods, and Lies We Believe

Looking at the photos is not for the faint of heart. A weeping couple in Florida embraces over the rubble that used to be their home. Traffic stalls on I-40 in North Carolina due to missing pieces of the interstate after excessive rain and mudslides. An engulfed Nolichucky Dam in east Tennessee weathers twice the amount of water that flows over Niagara Falls. Overturned vehicles, floating houses, and leveled communities spanning over 600 miles are all clues that Hurricane Helene was no ordinary storm.

The state of Florida absorbed the initial brunt of the barrage as 140 mph winds first ravaged the Big Ben region, leaving splintered lives and busted power grids from Naples all the way up to Tallahassee. Next, Georgia suffered what Governor Brian Kemp described as a bomb that appeared to go off as Helene continued to march north, wreaking havoc from Valdosta over to Augusta.

Though the deadly hurricane soon downgraded to a tropical storm, unprecedented flooding persisted in upending the lives of people in South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Meteorologists estimate that 40 trillion gallons of rain fell on the southeast, an amount so staggering that some refer to it as apocalyptic. ABC News equates that much water with emptying Lake Tahoe entirely or filling the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium 51,000 times.

These floodwaters weigh a staggering 1700 pounds per cubic yard, causing immense damage as they descend from the saturated mountains of Appalachia. At the time of this writing, 400 roads remain closed in North Carolina. Over 130 people have died, and hundreds remain missing. Focusing rebuilding efforts is difficult because the needs are so great. The lasting impact from this once in a lifetime storm will be generational.

Nearly everyone is sympathetic toward those who are facing devestating loss due to Hurricane Helene. Rallying one another to support disaster relief work during a time like this is not a burden because most people are genuinely eager to help. There are unfortunate exceptions, however. Even as rains continued to fall over parts of the southeast, a former University of Kentucky staffer had the audacity to suggest that the storm might be God’s way of punishing MAGA populations for their hate and hypocrisy. Despite initially doubling down on her vile comments with even more offensive rhetoric, the self-described feminist poet eventually took her social media posts down.

I do not mean to suggest that only one side of the political aisle spews reckless remarks like these. Both the right and the left have an unspoken underbelly that we must be careful to resist despite its subtlety. Sometimes, when catastrophe strikes, we might instinctively place people into the categories of being deserving or undeserving of calamity. In other words, those in the path of the storm must have deserved it, and those outside its reach did not.

Thankfully, Jesus addressed this air of superiority that routinely plagues our perspective of tragedy. When the unthinkable happened south of Jerusalem in a place called Siloam, our Savior asked, “Do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? (Luke 13:4)” Certainly, this burden was different than a hurricane, but the principle regarding the afflicted remains the same.

To state Jesus’ inquiry differently, did the people in Siloam deserve to die? Where those people more wicked than you? By asking the question Jesus is highlighting our temptation to insist on the moral culpability of others while denying our own. We erroneously equate our safety with our perceived righteousness while assuming the demise of others is the consequence for their wickedness.

Jesus is not denying that tragedies of any kind can be acts of judgment, but He is insisting that it is not our job to discern what God is doing or to excuse ourselves from moral responsibility. We should never feel puffed up simply because bad things do not happen to us. God’s mercy, not our sinlessness, keeps us safe each day. The problems we face in life are not always reflective of our position before God. Don’t forget that Old Testament character Job suffered because He was righteous, or the opposite of what we would suspect (Job 1:8).

Do you secretly find pleasure in the misfortunes of other people, especially those you don’t care for? When you hear that someone has cancer, do you wonder if they had it coming? If you learn of someone losing their job, do you assume he deserved it? Is your attitude toward the family with a rebellious child that they must be terrible parents?

Jesus pushed back against such distorted thinking with a piercing declaration and instruction, “I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish (Luke 13:5).” From God’s perspective, hardship is sometimes as much about the casual observer as the person who is hurting. Has it ever occurred to you that God might use sweeping devastation, not to punish the immoral, but to challenge wayward spectators in need of repentance? The point of Jesus’ story is not about those who died, but those who remained.

Scripture clearly teaches that every person is a sinner who will face death as a result (Rom. 3:23, 6:23). Thus, Jesus insists “you will ALL likewise perish” apart from repentance. Eternal life requires our turning away from sin in order to follow Christ in faith. Thus, no tragedy should be an occasion to boast, but is instead, an opportunity to remember that God is merciful despite our sin rather than due to its absence. The burdens of others are an invitation to repent of our rebellion rather than laud our righteousness.

Adam B. Dooley

October 1, 2024

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