We Will Run Again | #PrayforBoston
It’s been one heck of a week.
From seeing the news of Boston all over Twitter on Monday, to checking to make sure my friends running were alive, to asking the questions we all did, and then later shuttering with the words ‘terrorism’ and ‘brothers’. Seeing people who showed up for an iconic event going home without legs is . . . just so tragic. The three deaths. So impossible to understand. Yet, I keep remembering the words Obama nearly shouted in his address to the nation: You will run again.
You will run again.
I woke up yesterday morning to process and pray for the victims and their families—especially Lingzi Lu a 23 year-old girl from China who attended Boston University. Chinese students who work their a$% off to come to America are very close to my heart, as you might remember from this story.
But before I could even start to pray, I saw more news about tragedy.
A 7.0 earthquake shook the grounds of Ya’an, China—a city not far from where I lived. 179 people reported dead ; 6,700 injured. I scrolled through these pictures—pictures of debris, collapsing buildings, Asian faces lying on blankets on the ground with IV’s hanging off sticks. One picture struck me; a man cried out with his face towards heaven.
Where is God in all of this? In Boston? In Ya’an, China?
It’s terrifying to realize we have no control, that safety is an illusion, and the future is not guaranteed for any of us. But where is God in the bombings, the earthquakes, the sudden loss of life?
As I see it, we all have two choices for this life.
One choice is a life with bombings, tragedy, earthquakes, misguided fanatics, death, mental illness, natural disasters, abuse without hope.
No hope of things getting better. Our purpose comes from whatever we want it to be, but it will always be a purpose that death can steal. So the terrorists strike, cancer takes lives, and earthquakes tear down buildings. And that’s the end. Cope and move on is your answer for this life. Try to help when you can, but know you can’t help everyone. More suffering will always be poking it’s head out around the corner.
The other choice is a life with the same aspects of the life above: bombings, tragedy, earthquakes, misguided fanatics, death, mental illness, natural disasters, and abuse.
But this life is radically different in that it has hope in the midst of tragedy. Joy in the midst of heartache. A good Dad in the middle of smoke-filled streets and amputations. The hope of eternal life for those who didn’t get to walk away from the marathon, those abused, those left unwanted, those killed in natural disasters, those trapped under buildings, and those living with any sort of pain life brings our way.
Hope that this life, this tragedy, this act of terrorism isn’t the end. It may feel like the end, but in life with hope, our good Dad promises this isn’t the end.
We will run again.
How did you process the Boston bombings? Did you know anyone running? Do you live in Boston?
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I went to see the London marathon yesterday and it was moving to see how many runners were wearing black ribbons or had ‘For Boston’ on their shirts.
I love that, Louise. Thanks for sharing!
Praying for Boston and China!
I live about 25 minutes north of Boston, and my sister lives in the city. Trying to get in touch with her after the bombs went off was like the most terrifying ten minutes of my life, but thankfully she had been working in a lab instead of near the explosions. Some of my friends also live there, and one was even on her way to the site when she stopped to get a sandwich-and if she hadn’t, she would have been there when the bombs went off. I’ve always lived within a half hour of Boston and the city feels like my home, so I just want to say thank you for your prayers for Boston. Hope in Jesus, in a “good Dad”, as you put it, is what’s gotten myself and my family and friends through this so far. And in the past few days, I’ve found myself even praying for the bombing suspect, that he finds forgiveness and hope in Jesus as well.
I can only imagine how terrifying. There are so many stories like your friends-people who should have been at the site-but just missed it by a moment. Incredible you’ve found strength to pray for the bombing suspect.
My roommate works at a church in Boston and was there during the bombings and then later was in the city during the lockdown. It was crazy for her because we live 30 minutes north of Boston and she was stuck in a friends house all day. Thankfully she was safe. A pastor and his family had just left the the finish line ten minutes before the explosions went off. I also have friends who are nurses that responded to the victims in the bombing. This definitely hit close to home! Thankful that God hears prayers.