Many fans followed Evan’s blog. Reading it reveals his restless need to journey through wilderness in search of self-discovery. How ironic that the California desert he loved so much, was also the place of his death. 

It’s been said that bad things sometimes happen to good people. So when a good person like Evan is dealt a terrible situation, it’s hard to absorb, much less understand. Trying to grasp how a likeable guy such as Evan could have died, and in such a tragic way, is a large-sized spiritual mystery. 

Being a Christian, I turn to my faith first when confronted with yet another example that the world can be so unfair. I’ve read the story of Job and realize that for centuries it has offered some perspective during times of coping with shocking loss. Perhaps it is possible that we need suffering in order to appreciate what it’s like to experience goodness and happiness and peace. 

It has been said that the principal reason some people embrace religion is the same reason others reject it. That reason is the existence of suffering and death. Non-believers choose to walk away, saying they cannot worship a deity who could indifferently preside over so much awfulness. 

Those who worship understand that there is also a real chance for making contributions on earth and having a spiritual life beyond it. This awareness helps to give meaning and hope when confronted with life’s complexities. 

Although the human capacity for reason is one of our best weapons in getting through life, it can take us only so far. Contemplating the infinite vastness of the universe, we soon get to a point of diminishing returns as we try to make sense of sad situations such as Evan’s. It is then that my faith is what pulls me through. 

God is all-powerful and all-knowing and yet, mysteriously, bad things will always happen. Spirituality can demand inward struggle while at the same time offering great emotional comfort. Sometimes I’m at peace with not knowing God’s incomprehensible ways. At other times I’m unsettled because I can’t explain that which is beyond my imagination. That’s when I really have to work at accepting that not knowing is okay. 

What I am certain of is that I will continue to study and to pray, determined to walk towards the light.