It's been less than 24 hours since, yet another, tragedy at Oklahoma State University has occurred. Within the past 15 years, the university and city of Stillwater, Oklahoma have experienced two plane crashes and now an automobile accident that, in total, have claimed the lives of 18 men, women and children. This is something I don't understand. I don't understand how it keeps happening to the small-town, friendly university I attended in a town I call home. How can one school experience this much pain within a 15-year period?
I've grown up attending OSU sporting events, and, as all OSU fans do, I remember the pain from the plane crash in 2001 that took the lives of 10 members of the Cowboy family, and I remember the pain from the plane crash in 2011 that took the lives of 4 more. Now this. Another tragedy.
I think it's wrong to say that someone can get good at experiencing tragedy. That should never be the case; however, one can learn how to respond to tragedy, and that's one thing the Oklahoma State family has done.
As OSU president, Burns Hargis, said, "The Cowboy family pulls together. Unfortunately, we've done it before, and we'll do it again."
President Hargis said it well. He reminded us that, no matter what, we know how to come together as a family, and that, no matter what, we've still got each other.
After a day like Saturday, it's hard to find bright spots. Even with 60,000 fans clad in bright orange and a tremendous win from the football team in a game that felt funny to be playing, things seem bleak. However, there are bright spots. OSU is together, OSU is a family, and OSU is surrounded in encouragement, support and prayer. Encouragement came in from not only across Oklahoma, but from across the country. It's a special thing when even the biggest rivals can come to reason that, at the end of the day, football is only a game and life has always been and will always be more important than that. As encouragement and support came, so did hope in prayer. As many questions as there were of, "Why did this have to happen?" there were even more prayers. Instead of seeing condemning Tweets and posts, there were tweets of prayers- prayers for the victims, the city, the school and for the driver. These, friends, are bright spots. It's a bright spot and an encouragement that, not only the Oklahoma State University family, but all of its supporters, have learned the best way to respond to tragedy, and that's through coming together, prayer and encouragement.
I am thankful that the Lord is our Shepherd, and that, despite tragedy, He leads us beside still waters to restore, refresh and revive our souls when we need care most. As we reflect on Saturday's events, may we pray and mourn with those who mourn together as a family, but may we also take heart, Stillwater; He leads us by still waters.
-Cliff