Showing virtue in tragedy

Sometimes a whole nation can be in grief. We recall when America went into national grieving with the tragedy of September 11. In recent years, perhaps no other incident has caused such international grief as the tsunami that wiped out entire populations in South-East Asia. In some cases, these incidents of grief are minimised to maintain normality. Certainly, there is something to be said for ‘moving on’ after a tragedy, as life itself goes on, but grief must first be processed. If it is not, then responses such as cynicism, scorn, pessimism, un-resolvable anger, or bitterness, will soon surface in one’s reactions to life and to God.

Our skill in minimising rather than resolving grief, can rob us of wholeness or a capacity to live life to the full. Ultimately, it can rob us of receiving the ‘full reward’ spoken about in the second letter of the apostle John. 2 John 1:8. Instinctively, we may minimise pain or try to remove any contact with it. This is rarely the best solution. As Christians, our experiences in life have taught us that even the most painful trials can lead us to a deeper appreciation of the goodness of God. Our attempts to minimise grief can be, in fact, attempts to reduce the effectiveness of the work that God is doing in our lives.

God allows grief to ‘workout’ His salvation in our lives, for suffering is the basis of virtue. Among other things, a virtuous person is one who, in time of temptation and trial, maintains integrity and credibility. Consider this against one who strives to minimise the pain, or avoids processing it. Though we would rather not have the pain, we need to make a decide how we will view and deal with it. If we don’t, the season of tragedy will be a stumbling block, rather than producing the fruit that God intended.

Peter exhorted believers to diligently ‘add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love … for if you do these things you will never stumble.’ 2 Pet 1:5-10. ‘Virtue’ is very early in the list emphasising how foundational it is in our Christian lives. Suffering as a Christian needs to be continually at the forefront of our thinking and faith. We could say that ‘showing virtue’ in trial and hardship is among the first evidences that our faith is real and substantial.

We show virtue by deciding to accept all things from the hand of the Lord. Accordingly, we don’t try to avoid pain at all costs, or avoid processing grief. Regardless of our situation, we can show virtue by watching over the attitudes of our heart and maintaining the integrity of our relationships. When we do this, the Lord helps us process our grief and deal with tragedy when it occurs.

Ray Jackson

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Feature Articles
August 2008

Keeping your heart

Bearing His reproach

The staff of bread

The harmony of life

Honouring fatherhood

Elders and Deacons

Showing Virtue in tragedy

Becoming a seeker

The Goodness of God

The devotion of your youth

Increase by labour