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Haiti's Story, Our Test
After my post yesterday, a good friend emailed me to express some concern over the idea that the earthquake in Haiti and its aftermath was a test from God for American Christians. Her concern is that it causes us to imagine God as some cosmic teacher sending horrible things on innocent people just to make sure we respond correctly. And if we don't, then we fail and perhaps he gets to send more bad stuff. This is an excellent point.
I do not believe that this earthquake is really even about me. It presents a problem, an opportunity, and I will even say it presents a test. Tests show what the present state of things is, and this crisis will show something about the present state of the American church in general, and of my heart in particular. It is how I respond that says something about me, and since this disaster is one of those situations where it would be unjust to withhold aid, I am now necessarily bound up in the story.
But the story remains Haiti's. It is their country, their crisis, their hurt, and whatever my involvement in the story will be, I am surely the most minor of characters. Misunderstanding this is narcissistic and gives rise to the unsettling view of God that my friend was thinking of; namely, that God is so interested in whether or not I am personally righteous that he is willing to kill thousands of people just to find out. My spiritual growth is not that important to God. I am the one who feels threatened and anxious about the many times each day I fail, not him.
Now of course, Job's friends still come around every time someone suffers, like vultures gathered around a carcass. There is so much more to say about them, but that will double or triple this post. Another time, but soon I hope.
So this is first of all a tragic chapter in the story of Haiti, but not one beyond redemption and hope. We are not the ones who will bring that to them, but we can suffer with them in the meantime and wait for healing together. We can share some of their pain, if we are willing to share with them some of our comfort.
They do not suffer because I am tested, but I am tested because they suffer.
3 comments
Peter, I appreciate your post. I am one of those very narcissistic people that can't even begin to imagine what people in Haiti feel like right now...or a year ago when they were the still the poorest country in this hemisphere. How do you begin to understand their pain. Do you think you owe it in part to your trip to Africa? I imagine the worst time in my life, and the pain I felt then, and it is horrible, but I don't know what it feels like to live there now with all of the destruction. I don't know how I would feel if it happened to me. Dave spent a week in Jamaica last year, and it is similarly poor, and he has said it is would be a terrible place to live (obviously), but if you lived there your whole life, how would you feel? He also said they expressed more joy than he has seen here in a year. Well he lives with me, so that is not that astonishing. Death is viewed differently there already, in that it is much more commonplace. This death is catastrophic, but the worst part would seem to be the hardening to death I think I would feel if I was there. The desire to be dead instead of living through it. I am trying to put myself in that place and I find myself at a loss. I already admitted to being narcissistic, so I hope that my reply is not shocking, but I would really appreciate a post on the "how-to" part of being empathic. 
Katie,A very good point. I am not good at application, but I will think about it. Thanks for your thoughts and encouragement!
-p
Peter,Haiti is my country, the US is my home. I say this because I have lived in the US longer than I have lived in Haiti. do not think anyonw will ever understand the earthquake, even those who were on the ground when it happened are still trying to make sense of what they went through. I have been to Haitiseveral times since the quake, when I look at the people of Haiti, their faces look as if the eartquake only happened yesterday.
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