Sinkhole

In the northern part of Guatemala City, the downpour created a giant sinkhole that swallowed up a space larger than the area of a street intersection. Residents told CNN that a three-story building and a house fell into the hole. 

A local newspaper reported that a private security guard was killed when the sinkhole opened up, but authorities had not confirmed the fatality. Residents said that a poor sewage drainage system underground was to blame for the sinkhole. A similar hole opened up nearby last year, they said.(From Cnn.com)

Yup--A sinkhole big enough to swallow a three story house.  That's pretty terrifying.

This Thursday I'll be conducting a funeral for Jennifer Yi, a 26 year old who died way too soon.  Her wedding was scheduled for July 23, 2011, and she couldn't have been more excited about it had it been this weekend.  She was one of the most consistently happy people I have ever had the joy of knowing.  On Sunday morning I received a phone call, and seeing this picture reminded me of that phone call--it was unexpected, and it feels like the bottom of the world has just fallen out.  I have so many questions, so much confusion, and can't figure out why something like this would happen.  It just doesn't seem right.  It isn't fair.  And yet, just like this sinkhole, I can't actually do anything about it to change it.  I can't undo it.

Sinkholes are miserable.  I can't see the bottom of the one in this picture, and sometimes I can't see the bottom of the ones in life, either.  I know that Scripture teaches me that Christ is always there, that he has been lower than I can ever be, but that doesn't stop me from asking the questions, and it doesn't stop me from being angry.  The landscapes of all of our lives are littered with these sinkholes, devastating moments that we can never erase.  Some happen far away, some just next door, and some seem to form beneath our feet, swallowing us whole.

So what to do?  I'm never sure.  I know that we gather as a community, for our individual strength is never enough in times like these.  I know that we pray a lot, for we have a faithful God, one who is trustworthy and true, who never abandons us.  I know that we look forward with hope, knowing that God will some day redeem all of this pain, all of our suffering.  We remember with joy, and we look forward with hope, even in the midst of our suffering, even when it feels like we are plummeting into the abyss--God is there, arms wrapped around us, loving us still.

Thanks be to God for that!

'He will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.’ (Rev. 21:4)