How would I respond?

Today my spirit was uplifted by the following newspaper article.

I encourage you to read it all, but the long and short of it is that notwithstanding being hit by a drunk driver, notwithstanding almost a year of rehab, and notwithstanding living in constant pain, Bruce Reid is a happy man.

He contains no bitterness towards the driver who hit him.  He holds no anger or malice for the events that transpired.  And he even believes that there is a greater purpose to be found in the horrific crash which almost cost him his life.

How can this be?  And if it had been me, how would I have responded?

You see, I lead a blessed life.  I have never known grief.  I have never known loss.  I have never known any real level of pain.  Furthermore I am healthy, I enjoy my work, and I love my family.  I am abundantly blessed.

But what if events transpired to change all of that.  What if tomorrow I was hit by a drunk.  How would I respond?

Well let’s take Bruce as a case study and examine why he responded the way he did. 

The following sentence says it all, “a Christian, he believes the crash wasn’t an accident.”

Ah, Bruce is a Christian.  Bruce therefore believes in God.  Bruce must even believe Romans 8:28 when it says, “and we know that to them that love God all things work together for good.”

Fundamentally this is a worldview question.  It is because Bruce views the world through the lens of a Christian worldview, that he can still be happy even after going through so much pain.  Let me explain.

Having a Christian worldview gives Bruce assurance that in comparison to eternity the events of this life are but a fleeting moment.  Having a Christian worldview also allows Bruce to understand that there is a bigger picture that only God can see, and subsequently there is a purpose in what happened to him.  And finally having a Christian worldview allows Bruce to know that no matter what he is going though God cares, and God understands, for He in the person of Jesus Christ endured much more than Bruce ever had or will have to endure.

So I hope you can see why it was that my spirit was uplifted as I read this article? 

For even though I have not experienced Bruce’s ordeal, I now have even more confidence that the faith I have chosen, and the worldview I ascribe to is the real deal.  To my mind there is no other explanation for the happiness and peace that Bruce and his wife are experiencing in the midst of their storm.

And how do I know that I am not just reading too much into that one line about Bruce being a Christian.  It is because I have had the pleasure of working with Bruce for the past 12 years.  And his life has been a testament of God’s grace and provision not just over this past year, but for the entire time that I have had the privilege of calling him a colleague and a friend.