Senator Creigh Deeds is a local lawyer and politician. He has invested his life in the area where I'm privileged to live. Over the past few days an incredible tragedy that struck his family has received national attention. I've included some links to news articles at the end of this STTA. The short version of what happened is that Creigh's son, Gus, suffering from mental illness, attacked his father with a knife, and after inflicting life-threatening wounds, killed himself with a gun. That kind of grief on grief would cause many to crawl into a hole. State Senator Deeds not only returned to his post in the Virginia legislature, but has mounted a campaign to address some of the short-comings in the way our society, particularly our governmental agencies address mental health problems.
What is one to do with the tragedy that comes into life lived in 
this sin-cursed world?
this sin-cursed world?
The Apostle Paul talks to the point in 2 Corinthians 1.
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ." (2 Corinthians 1:3-5, NASB95)
Who wants to sign up for such ministry?
I can see hands not going up all over the place. Mine are in my pockets. As I look back over forty years of small church pastoring, I see a lot of those who ought to be "able to comfort those who are in any affliction." As is always the case, ability does not necessarily equal performance. I've observed some who became bitter, and others who became marvelous ministers of God's grace.
The kind of grief the Deeds family is dealing with is off the chart. Though few of us will be called on to deal with this kind of head-line tragedy, and most of us lack positions of power and prominence, still each of us are called on to work to a place in our pain where it becomes a platform from which we can reach out to others who hurt.
I didn't sign up. It's just the way it is.
It's STTA.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/
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