Coniston Water in England’s beautiful Lake District is a favorite vacation spot for families in the UK. The waters are perfect for boating, swimming, and other water sports. That beautiful setting, however, was also the site of great tragedy. In 1967, Donald Campbell was piloting his hydroplane Bluebird K7, seeking to break the world water speed record. He reached a top speed of 328 mph (528 km/h) but didn’t live to celebrate the achievement as Bluebird crashed, killing Campbell.
Tragic moments can happen in beautiful places. In Genesis 2, the Creator “took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and take care of it” (v. 15). The garden was a masterpiece, yet when placed in this paradise, the man and woman disobeyed God, bringing sin and death into His creation (3:6-7). Today, we continue to see the destructive effects of their tragic choice.
But Jesus came to offer life to us—people who were dead in our sins. The apostle Paul, referring to that, wrote, “Just as through the disobedience of the one man [Adam] the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man [Jesus Christ] the many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:19). Because of Jesus, the most beautiful home of all awaits us.
Out of beauty came tragedy. And by God’s grace, out of tragedy came eternal beauty.
When have you seen God bring beauty out of tragedy? How did you respond to that event?
Heavenly Father, thank You for the eternal beauty You alone provide.
For further study, read A Season of Suffering: Meeting Jesus in Our Pain.
The garden of Eden was handcrafted by the Creator as a home for the man and woman (Genesis 2-3). The garden had everything they’d need, including unfettered access to God Himself. Yet, through disobedience, they were driven from that home (3:24). Jesus, however, promised a better home to His followers (John 14:1-4), described by John in Revelation this way: “I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God’ ” (21:3). As with Eden, the greatest thing about that home won’t be its beauty or provision but God’s presence, for “God himself will be with [his people]” (v. 3).
