Bombs.  In light of this weeks horrific attack on the city of Boston (and all of us in general) I really didn’t think that a post on anything other than bombs would suffice.  That being said, I want to take a more general look into the world of bombs…and bombing victims.

Lest you think I’m about to go all literal Hiroshima on you, I’m not.  I’m coming at this more figurative through the spectrum/viewpoint of the literal.  Literally, what does a bomb do?  It kills.  It damages.  It creates panic.  It creates or increases fear.  It sends a message.  It causes collateral damage to many others beyond the original targets.

However, it also gives an opportunity for bravery to be revealed.  It provides a platform for love, comfort, and support to shine through.  It can cast petty differences aside and draw people in toward common goals and beliefs.  It can focus our hearts and minds on that which truly matters in life.  It forces people to pray.  It creates a need for God that had been discarded or never realized.

Literally, this is what a literal bomb will do.  Granted, the chance of many of us facing a literal bombing, while increasing these days, is still relatively small.  However, what of the more figurative type of bomb?  I would say we have all faced these “bombs” and to many different varying degrees.

Yes, in my world I have had many.  None greater, I don’t think, than the cancer bomb dropped on us on December 24th, 2010.  The consequent bomb of the failed surgery that almost took Trey’s life on August 10th, 2011 is very real too.  Yet, there were and will be others.  My parents announcing that they were separating.  My father moving out, and back in, and out again.  Was their ultimate divorce a bomb (it didn’t seem that way) or was I just numb to it all like a poor child raised in a war torn country?  Other traumatic experiences (work, relationships, financial situations, sickness’ and deaths) independently don’t always seem like bombs but they rekindle all types of senses far too similar to some of the bombs listed above.

You too have had your share of bombs in your life.  Once again, especially for the highly esteemed of you who have faced true combat in our armed forces and/or domestic police/first responding personnel, you have faced literally real bombs.  Yet, figuratively we have all faced and will continue to face more figurative bombs.

What to do then?  What is our response to be?  How do we move on?  What do we learn?  I suppose it’s like anything else.  In many different ways I’ve written on this before.  Where do hurts go?  How do you process hurts?  Does perspective matter?  All of this is, can, and should be centered around finding out what truly matters.  What doesn’t change.  For me, it’s God.  It’s God through His Son Jesus Christ.  Call it a crutch if you’d like.  I’ve addressed that before as well.  Not for you?  Fine.  I’m not here to judge you or shove anything down your throat.  Yet, if I didn’t share it with you I’d be quite remiss.  I just know that as bombs have come and gone in and through my life that He is the one… THE one constant.  It is through Him that I see much more clearly.  It is through Him that I can see the helpers help…me and others.  It is through His care that others have helped me.  It is through His eyes that I can see the hurting and cry with them.  It is His voice that tells me what to do next, or what not to do right now (though I might really really want to).

Bombs have come, bombs have gone, bombs will come again.  I hate them.  Yet, they are not more powerful than Him.  Why does He let them happen?  His ways are not mine and I don’t want to believe in a God that I can completely figure out.  Yet, in hindsight, we do see many many amazing things happen through horrific times.  We see less spectacular things ever come from great or even just peaceful times.  Who knows?   I simply pray that you make the most out of every set back or tragedy you encounter.  It is in that where you will lessen the effect and/or intent of the bombs that come your way and in fact maximize the lesson, healing, perseverance, love and appreciation that bad times bring.