In the next few posts, we will explore the concept of sacredness and how it can be found in the very essence of tragedy. In accidents, calamities, or vicious crimes, we, as people made in the image of God, have the free will to respond in any way we wish. As children of God, however, there is hope in the trials set before us.
“I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace.
Jesus, The Gospel According to John, 16:33
In this world you will have trouble. But take heart!
I have overcome the world.”
The Challenger
Most of us are familiar with the tragedy of The Challenger. Thousands watched it launch in person that day. And millions more watched it in real-time or on the news after the fact. Seventy-three seconds after lift-off, plumes of smoke spiraled downward from the sky.
It was a chilly day in January 1986 in Cape Canaveral, FL. It was so cold that frost covered the aircraft. One of the reasons that the space shuttles launch in Florida and Texas is their warm weather patterns. But in January 1986, Florida had an unusual cold snap. The weather had broken all previous records for low temperatures.
One might ask, why would temperature be so important? Well, it had to do with the 0-rings. Or, more generally, its nuts and bolts. The 0-rings had a specific temperature range for optimal success. Cold temperatures would cause the metal to respond more slowly. Or fail, as it did for The Challenger.
Lives and Dreams
Each of the seven crew members lost their life that day. It was a tremendous loss.
Let’s take a moment of silence to honor these brave souls.
Michael J. Smith, Francis R. “Dick” Scobee, Ronald E. McNair, Ellison S. Onizuka, S. Christa McAuliffe, Gregory B. Jarvis, Judith A. Resnik
Mike, Dick, Ron, Ellison, Christa, Greg, and Judy were mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles, cousins, and friends. And now they are gone.
Not one person would argue that they left this earth too soon, leaving their loved ones to grieve this unimaginable loss. Each of these individuals was living their dream—the dream of space travel.
Lives and dreams forever lost.
Have you lost special people in your life? Or dreams that can no longer be realized?
Next time, we will explore the questions of “Where was God?” and “Why did this have to happen?” “This” can be applied to many situations and circumstances. Stay with me, and you’ll see how God can transform tragedies into hope.
#TheChallenger #Sacredness #WhereWasGod #Tragedy #LifeQuestions
I and Thou Reflections 