Taiwan Church News

3306 Edition

July 6 - 12, 2015

Editorial

Thinking Things Expected And Unexpected From The Tragedy Of Water Park Inferno

In the evening on June 27, an inferno was erupted at a "Color Play Asia" party within Formosa Fun Water Park inNew Taipei City. Up to now, 8 people died and about 500 people burnt or injured. Since the flood and casualties brought by Morakot typhoon in 2009, this water park inferno is the biggest disaster in Taiwan injuring so many people. There are still over 200 patients treated at Intensive Care Unit(ICU) and over one hundred patients are dying.

From this tragic inferno, it made us felt that people always want to live a life that could be expected in order to control the future and destiny. But, no matter how detailed we plan for the future, or whatsoever a successful formula repeatedly experienced in our past, chances are the things unexpected will always slip in. As a matter of fact, we people as human being are unable to stop the things unexpected. So, when the accident comes across, not only our mind run into a mess, but also our heart got broken and grieved when the casualties increased.

Things always change without a common outlook, and the messages never stop short of transforming, the thingsunexpected are hard to predict. If we can control it, there should be no more accident. And all things are pre-determined, aren't they? We believe no body would allow their most loved ones to be injured or died in the accident, yet such things unexpected would just keep happening without any warning in our daily lives. Therefore, when the accident happens, it is a moment to test our spiritual strength and wisdom; when the moment beyond the limit of rationality comes, we have to face it by faith.

It cannot be denied that, if the impact of the accident is huge, people are difficult to be comforted. But, if we can"arrange" our life plan in advance, like writing a will to obey God's lead, even the time unexpected comes, we have already seen the things expected with a strength, courage and peace!

It is well known that many biblical scholars thought Ecclesiastes is written by Solomon, when he was the king ofthe late Israelite dynasty. In fact, fatalism is not the theme what Solomon pursued in the book of Ecclesiastes. Rather, the author of Ecclesiastes proclaimed that the sovereignty of life is in the hand of God. God is the Lord of our life! Only obey God's order and follow his lead, no matter how long or short our lifespan are, our life could become meaningful.