Steven Curtis Chapman Family Speaks Hope

Last week Steven Curtis Chapman and his family talked about the tragedy of their daughter's accidental death. The ability for them to all speak about it together without bitterness, especially when she was accidentally hit by a car driven by their son, is so hopeful to me. When I hear of tragedies I like this I wonder why God allows them to happen. Why shouldn't a little girl be able to grow up to go to prom? And how can a young man live with that type of guilt?

But the message that comes out of it is that the little girl will be celebrating a 1000 times better prom in heaven. And their son has experienced true, unconditional forgiveness, and healing from his family and God.

So when something like that happens to a family, what is the real tragedy? Is the real tragedy death? Or is it bitterness, unfounded guilt, and hopelessness? I would argue that the real tragedy is not death, but a family destroyed through death because of their reaction to it. The Chapmans have not been destroyed. They have held tight to hope and faith. The family has demonstrated that a tragedy such as theirs isn't the end of the story. Yes, the pain is still there, but love and hope shine through.

You can watch some of their interview here:
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2008/08/08/chapman.maria.message.cnn

And Larry King's reaction here:
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2008/08/08/lkl.about.thurs.cnn

Full interview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9u8T3dL8KYo