The images of collapsed structures and rubble that have flooded the television and internet can be seen as a picture of society as a whole. Everyday there are broken dreams, the devastation of failed marriages, lives lost to disease and violence, foreclosures, loss of jobs, and much, much more. We as Followers of Jesus and as part of the Body of Christ must be ready to offer up immediate and true RELIEF to the ones shaking their heads, the ones asking questions, and the ones crying out for help.
Here are some things that I believe can be our charge when helping people in a state of crisis:
1) Don't focus on always ANSWERING why?-
The reality is that often there is no easy answer or no way of knowing with 100% certainty why some things happen. It will become maddening for you and for the person with the question to try and figure out the reason, cause, or to pin the blame on someone (even God). We want to focus people on the fact that there is HELP and HOPE available to them now.
2) Help in POINTING people to the Heart of God-
One of the things that I often say is, "Even when I can't comprehend the mind of God, I always can know the heart of God!" Keep sharing and reaffirming the reality that God's love, promise, care, and power is available to them. This isn't the time to make them feel bad about not reading their Bible, irregular church attendance, or poor decision making, rather it is a time to comfort, support, and encourage (Galatians 6:2).
3) Keep PRAYING for Open Doors-
God always makes the right move and always has the next move. So when tragedy strikes a nation like Haiti or your neighbor, we can pray for God to redeem the situation, for the message of the light of the Good News (Gospel) to penetrate the darkness, and for lives to turn to Jesus in their time of greatest pain and need.
As our eyes have recently been on the events that have unfolded in Haiti, let's allow our eyes to focus on the REBUILDING effort. Not simply the rebuilding of fallen structures or a nation's weakened economy, but the rebuilding of broken lives to a Healing Savior. "The Lord heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."- Psalm 147:3
1 comment:
Thank you for sharing the note. I hope that people don’t immediately dismiss their ability or responsibility to serve in this relief effort in Haiti or in reaching others because they think they don’t have enough resources to make a difference. We all play a part. Thank you for posting this on your blog.
Have a wonderful week!
Leaf
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