Lord, have mercy!
On days like today I have an urge to go completely off the grid, to carve out a sustainable life in the country without being dependent on computers, or telephones, or electricity, or oil, or anything that someone else or some faraway disaster can simply shut down.
Obviously, I'm feeling bad today. But it's really not about me. My own life has some comforts and routines—in fact, it's full of them. There is a nice bed to sleep in; a beautiful wife to wake up with; coffee on demand; newspaper at the door; a comfortable couch to curl up in with a Bible; a bus just down the street that arrives on time; a book to read and a neighbour to chat with; a congenial coffee shop downtown with friendly people; a steady job that provides meaningful work … Oh, I forgot to mention, the hot shower with a turn of a tap. The picture is clear: my life is comfortable and satisfying.
But much of that could disappear in a few instants. One day without Internet access would create chaos in my workplace; one computer crash and many of my daily touchstones would disappear. A power outage could make my home unlivable. Face it. A lot of my life is heavily vested in a fragile web. Circumstances beyond my control could change things irrevocably.
Why am I thinking about these things?
Today it's because of a place I've never been to and where I've never wanted to go. Haiti. A terrible earthquake has devastated, decimated and destroyed an already hurting country. I can't begin to imagine what now passes for living in a place that was difficult enough to live in before the nation's infrastructure was wiped out, its landmarks reduced to rubble, its people killed and maimed, injured and suffering. No water; no hospitals; no airport; no heavy equipment; no … anything. Lord, have mercy!
Help is coming. But the best efforts of generous people around the world are like bits of confetti, bare flutters of compassion in a windstorm of need. And I feel sorry for myself? Lord, have mercy!
May God have mercy on Haiti and multiply the efforts of all who help.
Missionary nurse killed in Haiti earthquake
Haitians in Montreal wait and pray
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