When Bad Things Happen - The Schlitterbahn Tragedy

I didn’t think I could be more horrified by the tragedy of the 10 year old boy who recently died at the Kansas City Schlitterbahn waterpark until I read the newspaper today. Somehow, knowing the child was decapitated seemed to further increase the shock of this accident.  

My first thought was “that poor child,” and then, of course, my heart ached for the parents. At least for the child, it was over quickly. I was, however, relieved to hear the family’s statement that they are people of faith and believe that they will see their son again. That is often the only comfort to come out of such extreme sadness. But then I realized the pain and anguish of this situation extended even further.

I can only imagine the horror of the two women riding the raft with the boy. Both had injuries, but how could you not be affected for life after experiencing and seeing what they saw? Also, imagine how the designers of the ride must feel. What a terrible thing to live with knowing that you created something so many people enjoyed, but also led to the death of one so innocent.

Three things come to mind: They all need our prayers, life is not guaranteed , and then the age old question of, “Why does God allow things like this to happen?”

The first one is easy to do. The second one reminds us of our own mortality. We ignore it and procrastinate thinking, “we’ll do it later.” But guess what? Later may not occur. If a 10 year old can die in the blink of an eye, what assurance do we have that we will still be on earth in the next day, hour, or even 5 minutes?

I’m thinking a little about the memoirs that our church members are writing for our congregation’s 150^th anniversary. The deadline is November 1, and less than 20 people have taken the time to write something. We’ve already lost some very important people whose lives were integral to our church, but they chose to wait to make their contribution, and we will never have their memoirs to pass on to future generations. One thing that M.S. has taught me is to not procrastinate or at least not as much. I don’t know what I will feel like tomorrow, so if it’s important, I try to do it today.

Now the last part of my thoughts mentioned above relates to the questions: Why did this tragedy occur, and why didn’t God prevent it? I could give the clichéd response that we aren’t meant to live forever, but I think there is much more here to be said.

I hope no one says to the parents that it’s “God’s will,” or even worse, they incorrectly cite Corinthians 10:13 by telling them “God never gives you more than you can handle.” First, that refers to temptation − not all circumstances. Secondly, I don’t believe that God purposely gives bad things to people (Christians believe in the New Testament which doesn’t coincide with the Old Testament that depicts God as one who smites and hardens hearts). 

Romans 8:28 (NIV) tell us, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him…” If we look at death as a punishment for those who die, then we can’t believe this verse, but if we know that something better awaits us, any “punishment” seems to fall on those left behind.  What is promised, I think, is that God will help us make lemonade out of the lemons because we need meaning to our lives and what happens to us. Life isn't meant to be punishment.

We might rephrase the question, “Why does God let things like this happen?” to “Does God really love us?” That’s what it really comes down to in the end. Ergo, if God loved us, He wouldn’t let this happen.  But when God does let tragedy happen, I must believe He makes it part of a greater good. 

I don’t mean that anything could ever replace the incredible loss that has befallen this family, or any other family who loses a loved one. But I do wonder if God will use this tragedy to protect thousands of others from injury. Perhaps, He is protecting a future president or the person who will ultimately find a cure for cancer. We don’t know what God has in mind, but I’ve learned to trust that whatever it is, He will replace some of the evil in this world with what is good.