After seeing two of the Oscar nominated films, Mystic River & Lost in Translation, I am struck with one thing. Life is tragic. There are events that happen in our lives that affect us at our being. One's entire life can be shaped around one act.
The Gospel is also tragic. God's creation rebelled against Him, as man sinned. It was only through the death and resurrection of Jesus that salvation from utter tragedy is available. Yet even when we have faith that Jesus is enough for our salvation we face day in and day out the affects of sin in this world.
Just in the last few days I have spent time talking with people in our church who are struggling with serious sin. Some struggle before Jesus in beautifully tragic ways, while other struggle in ways not honoring to Christ. The path of growing more in the likeness of Christ is not a straight line, but has many turns and twists, often leading people in opposition to God before they realize that they are embraced by Him.
I am thankful that however tragic the story, the end is restoration. There will be pain, disappointment, and even death but God has promised that creation, and that includes us, will be brought back to his bossom. He is the one who reaches out to us in our tragic state, he is the one who sustains us in the midst of tragic circumstance, and he will ultimately deliver us unto himself never to know tragedy again.