earthquakes

tonight's post is a departure from my last few.  not because i am through with my posts on love and marriage by any means, but because something happened today that i cannot simply gloss over.

as americans, it is very easy to see the things that happen in other parts of the world on the various news outlets.  it is even easier to gloss over them, and think of them as something that happened "over there."  however, many of us today learned just what "over there" means, when a dear friend of ours and her family were part of "over there."  as we all anxiously watched the news and facebook for some sort of indication that they were okay, the headlines were no longer easy to gloss over.  however, God smiled upon our friend today and though shaken up, her and her family were safe.  i believe that He has a far greater purpose for them as they minister to the people of Nepal in the coming weeks and months and even years. 

one thing the military has taught many americans, is that "over there" can become "right here" in a matter of moments.  in the 11 caco (casualty notifications) calls that i have done, thousands of miles were quickly diminished as a family's world came crashing down around them.  this is my third deployment where the area i was in flared up into chaos, and thousands of miles disappeared as "over there" became "right here" for my family and loved ones back home.  technology has the ability to build bridges that you can't drive on, but can definitely bring you much closer than in times past.  however, it brings the atrocities that occur in obscure parts of the world front and center into your living room. 

as CHRISTians, we have to ask ourselves what are we going to do with that information?  gone are the days of ignoring the crises that happen across the country, and across the world, and pretend like we don't know what's going on.  as our fellow brothers and sisters in CHRIST are getting their homes taken, their freedoms taken, and their lives taken, suddenly "i'll pray for them" no longer seems enough.  i'm not discounting the power of prayer, but it has become a way of getting rid of a problem we are uncomfortable dealing with.  because let's be honest, how often do we actually follow through on our promises of prayer?  so what do we do?  well, that is the question that is the most difficult to answer.  for some, prayer may be all they can do, and if that's the case, then i sincerely hope that they are praying fervently, for Scripture tells us that the fervent prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much.  for many of us, however, there is more than we can do.  for instance, if you are reading this, odds are you are among the wealthiest 5% of the world.  there are 247 million professing CHRISTians in the united states alone.  now, imagine if all 247,000,000 of us gave $1 to missionaries such as my friend in nepal to help minister to the people there!  think about that for a second.  $1.  i spend more than that on a dr. pepper.  this is an indictment on me as well.  there is a church that i was just reading about that has a dollar club where every member of the church sets aside $1 each week of their tithe to the dollar club.  at the end of a month, that church, being a larger church, has approximately $12,000 that they use to minister to those in their community!  did you know that the average church spends over 50% of their tithe on salaries alone?  and another 30% goes towards building funds!  10% goes towards programs, and another 5% goes towards charitable and denominational giving, leaving only 5% for missions.  so money is one way we can help.

there are other ways such as donating used clothes to missions and relief organizations.  a friend of mine from brazil was riding with me one day and saw a mini storage facility and asked me what it was.  when i explained it to him, he said, 'you americans have so much stuff that you have to rent out extra space the size of most homes in brazil just to hold it all!"  what an indictment!  when it comes to supporting those "over there," remember, think outside the box.  finding ways to help is just a google search away.

another way you can help is by taking care of those affected by tragedies that happen "over there."  when a world is crumbling, or when a family is stressed to the breaking point because of worry over a loved one "over there," you can come alongside them and put an arm around them and offer to help.  there may not be much that you can do, but knowing that you are concerned and that you care helps tremendously.  find that spouse of someone "over there" in your church who is struggling to keep it together and offer to take her out for a nice meal while somebody else watches the kids.  find that mother or father and offer to pray with them, and not just for them.  call and ask for updates.  show that you care.  don't simply say "i'll pray for you," for talk is cheap.  if you don't know what to say, don't avoid them, but be honest and just be there for them if they need a shoulder to cry on or someone to yell to.  one thing i've learned, is that a person will remember very little of what you say during times of crisis, but they will always remember that you were there beside them to go through it with them.

we are all just a fault-slip away from our own earthquake, that event that shakes and rattles our world and causes our walls to come crumbling down around us, while the whole world seems to see it as something that is happening "over there," and therefore are oblivious to it, while we struggle to survive.  some earthquakes are tremors, unsettling us and maybe shaking us up a bit, while others are of such magnitude that while we may rebuild, our lives will never be the same.  the question is, and has always been, how would you want others to respond to your situation?  with an "i'll pray for you" that will never happen?  or with something that shows that they really care about you and your situation?  because in the blink of an eye, "over there" becomes "right here," "right now."