9 Years Since the Earthquake

9 years (and counting) of trying to rebuild.

It has been 9 years today since the earthquake completely changed Haiti. It has been 9 years since the devastation hit our neighbors and demanded a response from the world. Were we going to jump into action and help OR were we going to sit back and watch as pictures of the aftermath scrolled on our TV screens?

Unlike other anniversaries, this one isn’t one that we “celebrate.” I mean how would one celebrate such a catastrophic event? An event that destroyed an entire country and took so many lives? No, this is a day that we remember and learn from, not celebrate.

However, I believe there is one thing that we can celebrate about that day – the way the world, believers and nonbelievers alike, responded to the earthquake – that is something that can be celebrated. It would have been easy for many Americans to sit back and not care about people they knew nothing about and who live in a country most people don’t know much about, but instead, they did the harder thing. They acted. They gave of their time and resources to do what they could for their fellow man. They responded in a way that I believe the Lord calls us to respond when we see others in need. Many people stepped into the mess and the destruction and they got to work. They set aside fear and selfishness and became “doers of the word” not just hearers (James 1:22). People were living out their faith by their actions rather than just with words.

The response to this tragedy was and still is incredible. Even today, 9 years later, people are still responding to this tragedy in ways that the Lord has called us to. People are leaving the homes and their jobs for weeks at a time and going and serving the people in Haiti. Helping them to heal physically and spiritually, helping them to recover, and helping them to rebuild.

It is moments like the earthquake in Haiti, where it is easy to become “doers”. The need is urgent and difficult to ignore. People are trapped under debris and are dying. They are in desperate for help. It’s an almost natural response to jump into action, right?

What if we changed the scenario? What if people were still dying, but instead of being trapped under the weight of debris, we said they were trapped under the weight of sin?

Would we still jump into action?

Are you jumping into action?

Are you being a “doer” with the people around you right now who are trapped and dying under the weight of sin?

As we reflect on that day, 9 years ago, we are thankful for the work that the Lord has done in Haiti since that day – but we never forget the tragedy of that day and the countless lives that were lost.

We look back and remember the response that was demanded that day and are reminded of the response that is demanded of us every day as believers.

Our brothers and sisters are out there, trapped under the weight of sin and need help.

Are we going to be “doers” of the word or are we just going to sit idly by?

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