Haiti: The Stuff of Life

There is nothing like a newborn baby to renew your spirit - and to buttress your resolve to make the world a better place.
--Virginia Kelley

Viewing the images of the earthquake aftermath in Haiti stirs a sense of priority and discerning of what is really important in life.

It seems so superficial to be spending our time spinning our wheels over such insignificant points as whether or not the word "Negro" is on a census form when you view the faces of the Haitians all caked in the same pale ash color regardless of their race; it seems so shallow to be waggling our fingers over the use of "biodegradable trash bags," and worrying about receiving a fine for not using them when you see these impoverished people collecting what's left of all that they own in any kind of bag they can find; we come off just a little pretentious to be arguing over whether or not to accept federal education funds that might be accompanied with curiculum rules, when last night many of the quake survivors spent the night on the floor of an outdoor school basketball court because there was no place safe to sleep.

Maybe its my inherent optimism, perhaps tinged with just a bit of vain, American naivete, that allowed me to view the Haitian Earthquake through a slightly different lens: A tragedy, yes, but also an opportunity.

Here is a nation that has been notorious for its poverty, now standing on the threshold of a chance to rebuild stronger and better than before. The world seems to be coming to its doorstep with plenty of aid, materials, and manpower to do that.

As we pray for the comfort of a shattered city of Port Au Prince, let us also pray for compassion in administering the aid and wisdom for guiding the leaders who must now rebuild their houses, replace their infrastructure, and getting the Haitian capitol back on line with the rest of the world. It's an opportunity of a lifetime for us to help our neighbors...and help replace what was with something that's vastly better.