June 30th, 2021: Dilemma in Loving

 

A young man told his girlfriend before he broke up with her that he will drive his truck as fast as he could and hit something if they are no longer together. He broke up with her soon after and got involved in a terrifying vehicle accident. He is now in ICU, and the young lady has no idea to discern how she feels or should feel.


Victor Frankl, an Austrian neurologist, therapist, and Holocaust survivor wrote about the triad of life: pain, guilt, and death. This young lady has experienced all of them.


  • Pain: she was in love with him, and she was surprised by the breakup. It happened just a few days before her high school graduation. They were supposed to spend time together on that day. She hardly had the time to deal with it before she had to encounter the tragic news of his accident. She feels pain because she cares for him deeply and does not know what to do. It is the dilemma one has to deal with rejection from someone and the desire to be compassionate toward that person.
  • Guilt: She feels guilty for some reason although she didn't initiate the breakup. It is not healthy guilt that helps us to correct ourselves and to better. It is the kind of guilt that brings about helplessness and anger. There is no easy solution for that guilt because she might not know the answers to many of her questions. The healthy choice is to choose life. When we allow that kind of guilt to corrupt us, it is the beginning of death, the death of hope and purpose for our lives.
  • Death: This is the final stage. It is not physical death alone. It is about the elimination of justice and beauty. The accident has destroyed many good memories they have with each other and their respective family. She has to accept that it was taken away from her without her permission. When she looks towards the future, there is a sense of numbness and meaninglessness when she thinks of him. That is the nature of emotional death.


Now we pray for his safety and complete recovery. One single event can alter so many lives as his family is trying to cope with everything.


Psalm 25:2

"O my God, in You I trust,

Do not let me be ashamed;

Do not let my enemies exult over me."

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