Hands and Feet
Ron DeBoer
2/25/2010

Not long ago, many nations descended on a country in harmony and goodwill to take part in an event that captured the whole world. Perhaps you found yourself watching the drama unfold on your television on the many news outlets that arrived to broadcast the action. Many people found themselves in the spotlight in races against time. There was great despair and moments of celebration.

I speak, of course, of earthquake-ravaged Haiti and the tremendous response by the world to come to this country’s aid in one of its darkest moments. As I write this column, Haiti is in the midst of its devastation. Television and the Internet have streamed video of rubble, dead bodies, and unimaginable despair. You, however, are reading this column several weeks after the disaster. I wonder if we will be feeling the same empathy and charity towards Haiti once the newspaper and television coverage diminishes to whispers.

In reading Internet blog chatter about Haiti, many have asked the question: Why has it taken an earthquake to wake us up to the plight of Haiti? The country has been ravished by poverty and governmental corruption for decades. Lots of debate has gone on about whether God sends earthquakes or whether he uses great tragedies such as earthquakes to advance his plan. That countries are coming together in a common effort and pouring billions of dollars into Haiti right before the Olympics is significant and symbolic. I know the God I worship is more broken-hearted about the death and destruction in this country than all of us combined. The Haitian people are God’s children, of course, just as you and I are his children. He plays no favorites and loves the Haitian people no less than he loves you and me. That makes the Haitians our brothers and sisters, doesn’t it? But I also know God uses tragedies, such as the earthquake in Haiti, to conk us over the head with the reality of poverty in the world.
So how have you responded? And how do you continue to respond to poverty in our world?

Leonard Cohen sang long ago that “There’s a crack, a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” I keep thinking of Cohen’s lyrics as I watch news coverage of Haiti. There was a seismic crack that shed light on this country. Many died, including a wonderful missionary from my own town who had arrived just 90 minutes before the guest house she was in collapsed on her. There is great sadness and destruction. But out of this tragedy, God works wonders through us, his people. We are his hands and feet. We are, on behalf of God, the light that comes in.

So again, I ask, how have you responded? I believe God places moments like these in front of us all through life. Our response defines our core values and beliefs. How have you responded?

God’s call to be generous to the poor can be seen all through Scriptures. Proverbs 28:27 (NLT) says, “Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to poverty will be cursed.” In Matthew 19:21 (NLT), Jesus responds to a rich young man who asks him how he can get eternal life. Jesus’ response: “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Two thousand years ago, Jesus saw a destroyed world and volunteered to donate his life for it. He was the ultimate light when the cracks of sin shattered our world. We are asked to be Christ-imitators, giving our lives to God’s Kingdom cause.

Jesus donated his life. What are you willing to donate for the lost and despairing in our world?

There are many opportunities to help the poor around the globe. You can donate to World Vision (www.wvi.org), Red Cross International (http://www.icrc.org/), or Christian Reformed World Relief (http://www.crcna.org/pages/crwrc_donate.cfm). There are also organizations that can enable you to develop longer relationships to help families and children out of their cycle of poverty. For instance, Free the Children (http://www.freethechildren.com/) allows you to help build schools in countries where children cannot get an education. Kiva (www.kiva.org) is a unique organization that allows you to “invest” money in individuals of poor countries, who will use it to start a business enterprise before paying you back.

Through God there is hope. Since we are the hands and feet of God in this world, we are called to action to bring this hope. Read Psalm 77 to learn more about God’s resilience and strength in times of despair and destruction. Our God is an awesome God!

Ron DeBoer is vice-principal at Galt Collegiate Institute in Cambridge, Ontario, and author of the book Questions from the Pickle Jar: Teens and Sex (Faith Alive Publishers). He can be reached at rd2@queensu.ca.