Articles
Shark Attack
A pleasant day collecting scallops in the warm, shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico suddenly turned into a life and death struggle for 17 year-old Addison Bethea. A nine foot shark, most likely a bull shark, had clamped down on her thigh. Her brother, Rhett Willingham, was nearby and finally managed to beat the attacking shark into letting her go. Rhett, fortunately, is an EMT and was able to stanch Addison’s massive bleeding until she could be airlifted to a Tallahassee hospital. Sadly, Addison’s leg could not be saved, and as an avid tennis, volleyball and soccer player, she now faces a long road of rehab and life-adjustment.
This story hits a little close to home as we happen to know Addison’s extended family. I have held gospel meetings in Perry, Florida, where Addison lives. Melanie and I have even taken a boat ride near where the attack occurred.
What happened to Addison is a freak occurrence. In 2021, there were 73 shark attacks worldwide, 28 in Florida alone (16 of those were in Volusia County, mostly in my hometown of New Smyrna Beach). Thus Florida owns 60% of the U.S. attacks and 38% of worldwide incidents (Washington Post, 7/2/22). But when you think of the multiplied millions of people enjoying coastal waters around the globe every year, shark attacks, though sensational, are actually quite rare.
Incidents such as this give rise to probing questions about God, some generated by honest puzzlement, and some from hostile skepticism. Here are a few of them:
“Why ME??” When any tragedy befalls us, but especially when the odds of occurrence are slim, we can be overwhelmed by a sense of injustice. Fate, it seems, has unfairly singled us out. This highlights the human tendency to insulate ourselves from daily disasters. Our mindset is that such things always happen to someone else, which creates a sense of emotional insulation. This is why people say things like, “I never thought this would happen in my town/community/neighborhood …”.
This is a self-defense mechanism. Since misfortune is a regular news event, and intellectually we know something bad could happen to us, we tend to remain safely cocooned in our own little world hoping that tragedy passes us by. But in actuality, “The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all” (Ecc 9:11). In other words, we are not immune to the shark attack, the car wreck or the random act of violence (cf. bulletin article 5/29/22).
The answer to “Why me?” is: “Why NOT me?” We live in the same world as everyone else, and we are subject to the same physical forces, microbes, violent actions and genetic malfunctions as everyone else. God does not promise to build a hedge around the faithful and prevent bad things from happening to us. What He does promise is that we will be equipped to meet whatever befalls us in a corrupt, hostile and dying planet (Rom 8:35-39) and come through it with hope of glory in the world to come. Let us thank God for times of peace and health pray for their continuance, but may we also prepare ourselves for seasons of hardship that will inevitably come somewhere downstream.
“What did I do to deserve this?” A related question is one which the disciples asked Jesus about the blind man: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (Jn 9:2). The question was based on a false premise, that the events of this world necessarily correlate with spiritual standing. Scripture testifies that God does punish the wicked in this life: Egypt was decimated for their threat to Israel’s existence; Korah and his associates were swallowed by the earth for their rebellion; Herod Agrippa I was stricken with gruesome disease for accepting blasphemous, divine accolades; famines, plagues and warfare occasionally assailed the enemies of God to correct them or outright punish them. Therefore, it is natural for those who believe in God to wonder if their circumstances correlate to their behavior. The glitch in this mindset is to assume there is always a one-for-one response of God to every act we commit. Jesus debunked this notion in his answer to the disciples (Jn 9:3). Job is another witness that tragedy is not always the result of wayward behavior.
“Why didn’t God prevent this from happening?” Again, this question is related to the previous one, and the answer is similar. God has so structured the world that human free will is allowed to operate (even to do evil) without His constant interference; that forces of nature act indiscriminately (even Christians are killed in tornadoes and car wrecks); and that death is the natural fate of all (“natural” in reference to a world corrupted by sin, not as God originally created it). While we may wish God had spared us or our loved one from tragedy, the unvarnished truth is that this is not the blueprint of earthly life. Spiritual maturity learns to accept this and trust in God’s wise, purposeful governance of the world.
“Why her?! She had her whole life ahead of her.” This question is usually asked when tragedy strikes the young and assumes that we have a “lease on life,” a reasonable expectation of a guaranteed lifespan. But we do not. Generally speaking, “The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away” (Ps 90:10). But even among the faithful an average lifetime was not always realized – cf. Enoch, Uriah, Josiah, the prophet John, Jesus, James, etc. Further, infant mortality due to natural causes was much higher in time past, not to mention the senseless slaughter of young victims that commonly occurred in less-civilized eras (cf. Mt 2:16-18) – as well as abortions in the modern age. Heaven, it appears, will be well-populated just with the spirits of earthly youth, not to mention saints who achieved fuller age.
Still, there is something particularly sad about premature death or disability; we ache especially for young victims. But there is an upside to such: they are occasions to shine, to demonstrate courage, resilience and gratitude, to set an example of the strength and nobility of faith. Let us resolve now – not wait until tragedy strikes – to rise above unexpected setbacks, to not let them define us, deter us or defeat us. Rather, in all seasons of life may we determine to be a model of humility and trust in God. This world is plagued with “moth and rust and thieves,” and we should not expect more from it than what it can give.
