Tragedy
Mar 11, 2025 by Addison Crissone
The older I get, the more and more I realize the sorrow and tragedies of this life below.
As the years pass, I grow all the more acquainted with grief, loss, and suffering. with heartache and hardship.
With tragedy.
Over the last several months, and days, I have experienced the loss of many people I hold dear- too many that I wish were still here as I write this today.
I know that many of you have also walked a similar path, for there is no human being alive on this earth who has not met some grief or tragedy along the way. But I write today with the purpose of giving you hope- of giving you something to cling to as you walk this past of grief.
This is the first thing I would like to tell you, my friend.
There are no tragedies in the Bible.
Read that again.
There are no tragedies in the Bible.
Why?
Because in the ancient Hebrew language, there is no word for tragedy. Hebrew culture believed that if God had not redeemed a situation, then He was not done with it.
Look to the Old Testament account of Joseph; he lost his mother at a young age, he was hated by his brothers, thrown into a pit, sold as a sale, accused falsely, and imprisoned without cause. All of this, and the Bible does not label or define his life or circumstance as a tragedy.
Joseph himself did not claim his situations to be tragedies, rather he said this in Genesis 50:20-
As the years pass, I grow all the more acquainted with grief, loss, and suffering. with heartache and hardship.
With tragedy.
Over the last several months, and days, I have experienced the loss of many people I hold dear- too many that I wish were still here as I write this today.
I know that many of you have also walked a similar path, for there is no human being alive on this earth who has not met some grief or tragedy along the way. But I write today with the purpose of giving you hope- of giving you something to cling to as you walk this past of grief.
This is the first thing I would like to tell you, my friend.
There are no tragedies in the Bible.
Read that again.
There are no tragedies in the Bible.
Why?
Because in the ancient Hebrew language, there is no word for tragedy. Hebrew culture believed that if God had not redeemed a situation, then He was not done with it.
Look to the Old Testament account of Joseph; he lost his mother at a young age, he was hated by his brothers, thrown into a pit, sold as a sale, accused falsely, and imprisoned without cause. All of this, and the Bible does not label or define his life or circumstance as a tragedy.
Joseph himself did not claim his situations to be tragedies, rather he said this in Genesis 50:20-
"...you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good."
Good. Remember this word 'good', because we will see it again shortly.
Now, look to the New Testament life of the Apostle Paul; he began his Christian walk after a hard life of persecuting other Christians, he was looked down on by others, he was imprisoned, questioned, beaten, and eventually beheaded.
And yet neither the Bible nor Paul calls any of this a tragedy of any sort.
Paul is joyful in his letter to the Phillipains, despite being imprisoned and chained to guard. He is rejoicing because he has been counted worthy to suffer all of these things for the sake of Christ.
In Romans 8:28. one of my favorite verses, Paul says this:
Now, look to the New Testament life of the Apostle Paul; he began his Christian walk after a hard life of persecuting other Christians, he was looked down on by others, he was imprisoned, questioned, beaten, and eventually beheaded.
And yet neither the Bible nor Paul calls any of this a tragedy of any sort.
Paul is joyful in his letter to the Phillipains, despite being imprisoned and chained to guard. He is rejoicing because he has been counted worthy to suffer all of these things for the sake of Christ.
In Romans 8:28. one of my favorite verses, Paul says this:
"And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son."
For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son."
For good.
This is not to say that the situations we often label as tragedies are good and painless, or enjoyable. This is to say, however, that they are not a tragedy at all. God's definition of good is very different from ours. We define good as comfortable, easy, successful, and rich.
And yet Paul says,
"It will make you more like Jesus."
It will conform you to the image of the Son.
My friend, there are no tragedies in our lives.
Because there is no mention of a tragedy in the Bible.
If God has not redeemed your situation today, then trust in the fact that He is not done with it yet.
This is not to say that the situations we often label as tragedies are good and painless, or enjoyable. This is to say, however, that they are not a tragedy at all. God's definition of good is very different from ours. We define good as comfortable, easy, successful, and rich.
And yet Paul says,
"It will make you more like Jesus."
It will conform you to the image of the Son.
My friend, there are no tragedies in our lives.
Because there is no mention of a tragedy in the Bible.
If God has not redeemed your situation today, then trust in the fact that He is not done with it yet.
