Has the self-centered usage of social media passively become a part of how we as human beings respond to tragedy?

On Sunday, October 1st of this year, around 10 p.m., Stephen Craig Paddock committed one of the most vile acts of domestic terrorism in modern American history. As of writing this article, 59 innocent concert-attendees were killed with more than 500 others injured as Paddock opened fire from his hotel room at Mandalay Bay onto the large crowd attending the Route 91 Harvest Festival.

Not even a handful of hours after this tragedy struck, one of the top trends on Twitter became "Thoughts and Prayers," obviously from people tweeting that their thoughts and prayers went out to those affected by the terrorist attack. While this is a socially comfortable public gesture, is this truly how God wishes for us to respond to tragedy, assuming that there are Christians among this large online mass sending their prayers?

The best part about wondering how we respond to tragedy God's way is that The Bible clearly lays out an example of this through His Son, Jesus Christ, specifically in the story of Lazarus.

In the book of John, a story is told of Lazarus, who "has fallen asleep" due to sickness. Jesus arrives to the company of Marry and Martha, Lazarus' sisters, who are mourning along with many Jews who had come from Jerusalem. Ultimately, the story ends with Jesus having them roll back the stone covering the entrance of Lazarus' tomb, in which Lazarus comes out, still covered in linen and cloth from the burial, but is now alive, much to the joy of everyone, including his sisters.

I wanted to get the overall narrative of the story out of the way, because 1. the outcome of this situation is not the main focus as 2. we are mainly focused on how Jesus acts and operates within this tragedy, despite knowing that Lazarus would eventually rise from his tomb and continue to live. There are three specific actions Jesus takes, all of which we, as Jesus followers, should strive to imitate in how we, too, handle tragedy.

I believe one of the most powerful images in this story comes when Jesus sees Mary weeping. After being "deeply moved in spirit," He asks her where they have laid Lazarus' body, to which she invites Jesus to come and see. At this moment, "Jesus wept."

As followers of Jesus, this tells us that we should not suppress or avoid mourning for and being deeply moved by tragedy in this world.

Not caring about it or writing it off because we go "oh well at least there's an afterlife/this person is with God now/we do not truly die" is not the attitude Christ has. When tragedy strikes, especially if it happens in your life or the lives of those you know, do not hesitate to mourn alongside and share the emotional struggle of others, as this replicates the comfort that Jesus displayed to Mary and Martha.

Before Lazarus walked out of the tomb, Jesus looked upwards, "[thanking His] Father that He had heard [Him]." Now, Jesus says this publicly and in front of other people so that they would believe He was sent by God. Nevertheless, He speaks to God directly during this story.

This is another action we must take during a tragedy: speaking to God (or prayer).

Prayer allows us to connect with God, as it can be more about hearing His voice, directing our steps as He wishes, rather than giving Him a laundry list of demands that our much more finite, worldly minds can deliver. And prayer mean having to tweet or post a Facebook status to let everybody know you are holy and have a prayer life. Jesus prayed in public in this instance for the benefit of those around Him, to see and believe that He had been sent by God. We, on the other hand, do not have a reason to openly display our prayer during tragedy (unless you are praying over someone or a group of people experiencing one).

The final action I wanted to draw our attention to is one of the first actions Jesus takes: he physically comforts those who are mourning in tragedy. In verse 17, Jesus arrives at the village of Bethany, making sure he is physically there to comfort and mourn with Lazarus' sisters. Now, if we can physically make the time and space for those who are struggling with tragedy, as Jesus did, that's great! That is following in the footsteps of the Lord. But if we cannot physically be present, we can most definitely donate our physical resources (money, food, clothing, any physical needs that tragedy may bring) to extend our physical replication of Christ's example across the globe.

That is what makes the story of Lazarus so powerful: beyond seeing the miraculous power that Christ wielded while walking this earth, we also see how He wishes for us to handle and deal with tragedy when it strikes and afflicts others. By replicating Jesus' flawless, sinless character, we will better learn how to share in mourning with others, pray for God's direction and wisdom, and share our physical presence with those who need it. It is by living out Christ's example that we embody God's design for handling tragedy in a world that is prone to it. May we not forget how Jesus lived out His time on earth, but walk alongside the path He has already prepared for us.