As I exited the plane my senses were greeted with the familiar sights, sounds, and smells of a third world country in distress.  The smoke from the burning trash filling the air, United States Marines and U.N. Soldiers patrolling the dirt streets surrounding the airport; the crowds of locals in and around the airport shouting for the attention of the arriving passengers hoping to serve them in some capacity or perhaps sell them a small trinket.  Some laying claim to individual travelers and willing to defend their new found treasure from the other locals at all costs.  Generated by desperation, shouting and shoving amongst them breaks out and the police quickly step in and restore the peace; the opportunities to provide for themselves and their families are truly few and far between in this desperate place.

Traveling from the airport I scan the landscape before me and the question that I seem to carry with me on my travels confronts me yet again:  Why?  How is it that these people are born into all of this and I somehow grew up in Orange County in sunny Southern California not wanting for anything?

One of our missions on this short trip was to assist in completing the replacement housing for the 60 or so children of an orphanage that was destroyed in the earthquake.  Just the fact that these children were living in a Haitian orphanage indicates that many of them have already survived unspeakable tragedy; even before the events of January 2010 that took the life of the man that had cared for these children.  I did not know him but I learned that he was a local who lived the words of Jesus: “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:24-25).  He was not a man of means yet he gave all that he had for these children, he gave himself.

As I ponder the question I am reminded of the fact that the only hope to have a grasp of this is through God’s word.  I am reminded that I serve a perfect God whose ways are not my ways.  Through the tragedy I see a stage that is set where God is being glorified; God’s people coming from around the world to offer the people of Haiti relief from the unrelenting pain and with a message of hope.  When asked why they answer: “Because the love of God compels us” (2 Cor 5: 14).  Through this the change occurs that will make a real difference in the individual lives and thusly the country of Haiti as a whole.

God never promises to insulate anybody from difficult circumstances.  “The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him (Nah 1:7).  However, He does promise to “never leave us or forsake us” (2 Cor 13:5).  I believe that we as believers play a major role in God revealing Himself to those in time of need; not that God needs us to achieve this, but to allow us the privilege of participating in a fulfillment of His promise.

As I draft this entry for the Blog, Luke 12:48 resonates through my thoughts: “For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.”

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).

References:

Bible passages referred to are from the New King James Version, found at www.blueletterbible.org