Read
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33
Reflect
In the early afternoon of July 25, 1956, the passenger liner Stockholm left New York Harbor on its regularly scheduled voyage to its home port in Sweden. The trip was uneventful at first, but later that evening, the Stockholm approached a dense fog bank. Inside the fog was another ship, the Andrea Doria, bound for New York from Italy.
The crews of the two ships became aware of each other, but confusion over their positions and courses placed them on a collision path. At about 11:10 p.m., the Stockholm and the Andrea Doria collided in one of history’s most famous disasters at sea.
The Stockholm survived the collision, largely because it had a reinforced ice-breaking bow. The Andrea Doria was not as fortunate. The impact tore an enormous hole in the ship’s side, allowing water to rush inside and causing the liner to list severely.
At 10:09 the next morning—less than 12 hours after the collision—the Andrea Doria slipped beneath the surface and sank to the floor of the Atlantic Ocean, where it rests today. Amazingly, 1,660 of the 1,706 passengers and crew aboard were rescued. Forty-six people aboard the Andrea Doria died, along with five crew members aboard the Stockholm.
Two of the dead were eight-year-old Joan Cianfarra and her father, Camille. They had been sleeping in neighboring cabins with Joan’s 14-year-old half-sister, Linda Morgan, and Linda’s mother, Jane. Tragically, their cabins were at the point of impact. Joan and Camille were killed, and Jane was severely injured.
But Linda was somehow spared. The impact threw her from her bed on the Andrea Doria onto the crushed bow of the Stockholm. In the confusion, she called out, “I was on the Andrea Doria. Where am I now?”
In the weeks that followed, the press began reporting on the “Miracle Girl of the Andrea Doria.” Linda, however, was happy to escape the attention and pursue a normal life despite the tragedy.
In an interview decades later, she said, “I never understood the attention I got because I didn’t do anything. I just survived. I was once given a life-saving award, but I didn’t save any lives. I just survived. I couldn’t take credit for anything.”
Linda eventually became a teacher and librarian and married Phil Hardberger, who later served as mayor of San Antonio. But whatever else she accomplished, history continued to remember her as the girl who somehow survived one of the most astonishing moments in maritime history.
Tragedy is never easy. In fact, it raises some of the most difficult questions Christians face.
Why does God allow tragedy? Why do some people die while others are spared? What are we supposed to do when someone we love is taken from us?
To the first two questions, I have to be honest: I don’t know.
But I do know that Jesus warned us that suffering would be part of life in this world:
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Notice that Jesus said, “You will have tribulation.”
Not might. Not maybe. Will.
But also notice that Jesus tells us to take heart because He has overcome the world. He does not promise that we will avoid every tragedy. He promises that the tragedies of this world will not have the final word.
We will never understand everything in this life or see how every event connects, intersects and fits into the larger picture. Paul wrote:
“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.”
One day, our limited understanding will give way to the perfect knowledge and presence of God. Until then, we are reminded:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.”
Tragedy is guaranteed to touch our lives at various points. When it does, place your faith in the One who promised that He has overcome the world.
We may not understand why one person is rescued while another is not. We may not receive the answers we desperately want in this life. But we can trust that Christ remains with us through the fog, the collision and the grief.
The world’s tragedies do not overcome Him. And because we belong to Him, they will not have the final victory over us.
Reflection copyright © 2026 Doug DeBolt.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
