Haiti

As I have watched the news about the tragic earthquake in Haiti, I have felt an incredible and overwhelming burden. This country that already suffered mightily in terms of poverty and lack of resources now has to deal with this terrible natural disaster. In a place already home to thousands of orphans, many more children have lost their parents and find themselves in orphanages. Parents have lost children. Homes are destroyed. People are injured and infected. The destruction is unbelievable.

Seeing the pictures and faces of the Haitians has brought me to tears. How is it fair that this could happen to them? How is it fair that they were born in a country where the resources are lacking? How is it fair that I was born in a country where a natural disaster like this would be terrible, awful, but I would have confidence that I would receive adequate care to overcome it? The only answer is that it isn't fair. It's just not. That is really hard to swallow.

My initial reaction is to turn off the news, think, "that's too bad," and go on with my easy life. But, I feel like God is calling me to something bigger than that. I have been overwhelmed by this tragedy, and I just can't let it go. They may be far away, and I may have never seen or touched a single Haitian in my life. However, we were all made in the image of God. He created us to be just like Him, all of us. So, I will continue to fall to my knees and pray over these people that I will never know, and my prayer is that in the midst of all of this suffering that God will be near. I pray that they will feel his presence and know that he aches and groans and cries with them. He is broken for them. He will not forget them. My prayer doesn't end there. My hope is that I will ache and groan and cry with them, too. That I will be broken for them. That I will not forget them, even when the news does.

Lord, give me your eyes. Don't let me stop hurting for your people. Teach me to always ask what I can do and not to be afraid of the answer.