When Life HurtsSample

Just like Job

Moments before the tragedy, Tia Coleman’s family was just another group of tourists, smiling for a picture before the tour. Soon after, they boarded the boat that would sink shockingly, ending 17 lives, including 9 members of Tia’s family. She survived, but her husband did not. Nor her 9-year-old, her 7-year-old, or her 1-year-old. The lightning bolt of suffering struck suddenly, leaving Tia with a life she never planned on living.

She had always been a churchgoing woman, lifting up her hands at the precious name of Jesus, but what would she do now? As she sat in the front row at the funeral, how would she react to the name of the God who had enough power to create the universe but had not chosen to calm the storm that killed her family?

Answer—She praised him. Surrounded by her pastor, her friends, and her church family, Tia frequently rose to her feet to praise God during the three-hour service. She closed her eyes to pray. She lifted her arms in worship. She didn’t know why this had happened, but she did know who was worthy of worship. Like Job, her faith confessed, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised” (Job 1:21).

Sooner or later in life, we will feel the sharper edges of this broken world. When we do, I pray that our faith imitates Tia, a woman who imitated Job. May the name of the Lord be praised!