Haitian Horror

By now you've seen the pictures. You've heard the stories. You've shaken your head in disbelief. I know you have, if you're human at all.

The horrific scenario now developing in Haiti following the earthquake has left the world in a state of incredulity. It's beyond my comprehension (and maybe yours, too) to try to envision the kind of devastation that would leave as many as 100,000 dead, and a city (and nation) virtually wiped out...in a matter of seconds.

Now we're viewing the ongoing despair in near real-time. And there's report after report, video after video, gut-wrenching photos and stories every hour. While we, as a church, have planned our initial response (and are praying about what else we might do), I'm painfully aware of a subtle danger already creeping into my heart: tragedy overload.

There's only so much imagery I can ingest without beginning to sense a numbness to what I'm viewing. Only so much sorrow I want to allow to pierce my heart. Only so much room within me to feel for people far enough removed that I feel helpless to make much of a difference. Then this afternoon it hit me- what if God suffered tragedy overload? What if He said, "There's just too much sorrow. I gotta shut it down, because I don't have anywhere else to put this stuff that makes me so sad."?

I know God is bigger than this. That's why He's God. But as His servant and ambassador, I'm convicted again to continue to extend myself, my heart, and my hand, and push back hard against the numbness that can shut me down. My role is not to turn off, but to pray harder, think longer, give more, and rally others for the benefit of these victims. Because it's tough to be God's hands and feet if I allow my shut-down switch to flip when people need his presence the most.

The next time you feel like tuning out because it's just too painful, because you've seen so much you have nowhere to put any more, remember that God never looks away, never shuts it down. And if He's going to demonstrate His compassion in the midst of tragedy, He's going to want to do it through us.

But only if we're looking.

PS- check out Northwest Haiti Christian Mission (www.nwhcm.org). These are the people through whom we'll send our assistance at this time.