Paris has traditionally been a coveted destination for romantics, artists, poets, and tourists. It’s been the setting for many movies. A more recent one and a favorite of mine was Sabrina. Now everything’s changed in France. In just a day. Over the course of five or six hours. Bombings. Shootings. A suicide. I don’t know all the details, but the mounting death toll is horrendous. The magnitude of the tragedy and it’s far-reaching affects are difficult to comprehend. Shock. Anger. Denial. Sadness.

It’s unthinkable. Mind-boggling. Incomprehensible.

My thoughts immediately went to the hurting families of the victims. All those grieving parents. So much shock. Loss. Pain. Heartache. Devastation and brokenness.

When parents first learn about their child’s problems they feel similar to the way I felt when I heard about the killings on the news. Shock. Anger. Denial. Sadness. Disbelief. Brokenness.

We say things like “It can’t be.” “How could this happen?” “This is unbelievable.” “It’s impossible.”

Here are four things to keep in mind the next time you hear shocking news about your child along with a word of hope.

1. God is with you.
2. He will help you.
3. Trust Him with what you can’t understand.
4. One day, you will adjust to the shock and be okay again.

This Bible verse has given me a lot of hope in times of shock and loss. You may already be very familiar with it:

Romans 8:28  “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him…”

With God, good can always come from shocking experiences.

Always.

All the time.

Every time. Whether you understand how or not. No matter how dismal things may look. Addiction, mental illness, self-injury, suicide attempts — God’s the expert at taking our rubble and creating something beautiful. He will use it for good — some way. You can count on it.