Thinking of Eric

Not long ago I was thinking about Eric. Eric was a young man on the rise. He was handsome, bright, and had a wonderful wife and two beautiful little girls. He worked for a computer company based in New York, yet he lived most of the time in Jacksonville, North Carolina (where I was a church pastor). It was January 8th, 2003. I remember the day because it was the day that I least wanted to be Eric’s pastor because it hurt. And yet it was the day that it was most important to be a pastor to his family.
I got a call from Eric’s mother. He had been on a commuter plane that took off from the Charlotte airport that morning. It flipped over just as it left the ground, hit the end of the runway, and exploded on impact. That day I looked at his wife Andrea and his two children Victoria and Kaitlyn and was aware that no theology class prepares anyone for this moment. It was simply a time to grieve, to pray with them and be present for them.
Words could not adequately express the pain of that situation. Only time and reflection can allow such events to be spoken about with any theological clarity. Now, we can see that Eric boarded a plane created by fallible human beings. In fact, it was discovered that the weight of the plane directly caused the crash. Maybe this knowledge has saved countless other lives? Whatever the reasons for the crash, a life was ended too soon.
For some people, questions still lingered… “Did God do it?”, “What did those people do to deserve that?”, “Was it their time?” Too often I have heard questions like these when people suffer. It reminds me of the passage in John 9 where Jesus heals a blind man. The disciples ask Jesus “Who sinned, this man or his parents?” “Neither” replies Jesus. He heals the blind man and uses the moment to praise God.
Indeed, there is suffering in this world and suffering is part of the human condition. We are fallen creatures living in a fallen world. Yes, there are times when we cause our own suffering from wrong choices, but sometimes we are dealt blows that seem to come out of nowhere. That is the time when we must cling to God as our refuge and our strength. Unfortunately, some people wait until suffering occurs to look for God. There is good news! God is there with you in the midst of suffering…before, during, and after.
The pain of Eric’s death will never go away for his wife, daughters, parents, and friends. Even now, three years later, I think about him. Yes, life is fleeting. We could all die tomorrow. Eric’s death reminds me of how fragile life is and moves me to pray for those who suffer, pray for those who do not have the anchor of Christ in their lives, and pray that when the suffering of life hits, people will reach out to God, a God who knows the suffering of the cross and who knows what it is like to be human.