Posted on Thu, May. 08, 2008

I enjoy discussing politics and the advantages of traditional values.

Who's right? Who's wrong? Who knows? It's easy to get caught up in arguing ideas.

And then it happens: Something in life slaps you in the face and brings you back to the reality of what really matters.

Maybe it's a financial disaster, a broken relationship or finding out you have cancer. For me, it was an accident.

Some of my good friends were injured in a terrible auto crash. My friend, the father, will have multiple surgeries, and may have trouble walking again. One of his sons, a friend of my son, was critically injured. Another car was involved, and the passengers were also hurt.

I've prayed for a full recovery for all who were involved in the accident, and begged God to work a miracle. Will God answer? Yes, I believe He will. Will it be the answer that I was asking for? I don't know.

My friend's family is one of the most upstanding I've met. I admire how diligently he and his wife have tried to raise their family. Their kids are kind, smart and respectful. My friends are raising their kids the way I and many other parents are trying to raise ours -- and they are succeeding.

But they were stricken by tragedy.

It raises the age-old question: Why does God let bad things happen to good people? As a Christian, I've concluded that He allows such things so we never forget that this world is not our final destination. But my conclusion doesn't take away the pain.

I've tried to imagine how my friends must feel, but I can't. When I contemplate too long the anguish of possibly losing a child or spouse, the despair pushes my thoughts away. There's a promise in the Bible in which God says that He will never give us more than we can endure, and I pray that for my friends.

When I tried to muster up a column this week about what's right or wrong with our culture or politics, I couldn't do it. I kept searching for the idea and topic that would stir me, but they all seemed trivial in the context of my friends' situation. Culture and politics matter, but not as much as people, especially those to whom we are close.

My friends are hurting, and they need my prayers and help.

Brent Castillo appears in Opinion on Thursdays. Reach him at bcopinion@gmail.com.