I was on vacation last week and the wife and I got to take some needed days off and go do some fishing at the coast.  We even were blessed to spend some time with the grandkids in the pool.  Although it was a very good week in that respect, I was disheartened by the tragic events that took place over the weekend.  There was the shooting in Orlando of singer Christina Grimmie and then the attack at the gay nightclub in Orlando leaving at least 50 dead and 50 wounded.  Closer to home, there were two individuals in the Austin area who drowned while swimming.  Words like tragic, senseless, and horrible do not even begin to convey or express the devastation created by the loss of these lives.  What is one to say to such things?  How is one to react?  How is one to reach out to those who are personally and intimately dealing with such loss?  There are no good words for such horrific circumstances.  God’s word instructs us that it is just best to simply “weep with those who weep.”  We are to be a caring presence for others in their time of need.  Times of tragedy are not a time for anyone to point fingers or push an agenda but rather are a time to pull people together, to comfort one another, and to “bear one another’s burdens and thus fulfill the law of Christ.”

There will be time later to strategize and implement plans based on lessons learned; to try and take steps to prevent future tragedies.  But for now, let us take time to grieve, to comfort one another and to remember that life is precious.