It's Not About Me

There was something about my post yesterday that bothered me all day, but I couldn't figure out what it was. I kept thinking over what I had written, but could never put my finger on it. And then it occurred to me in the middle of the night. This is not about me.

That fact should be readily obvious since I was nowhere near Haiti when a 7.0 earthquake unleashed the gates of hell on a place it already resembled.

And yet there is something about human nature that makes us want to insert ourselves into tragedy. Whether this is for attention, out of empathy or just pure self-centeredness, I've observed it over and over again in myself and others.

In high school, there was a boy a few years older than me named Jon who had joined the military after graduating. We were all shocked to hear that he had been killed on base in some sort of boiler explosion. High-schoolers tend to be fairly dramatic anyway, but when a peer dies everything escalates.

I have a clear memory of a girl turning around in Spanish class and showing me a picture of herself that had been taken with Jon a few years before. She was carrying it around and showing it to people to make sure they knew that she had known him and she had proof. I remember thinking how strange that was at the time. But perhaps there was a part of me that just wished I had a picture of my own.

For me to take what happened in Haiti and turn it into a way to feel sorry for myself is absurd. There are hundreds of thousands of people either dead or suffering in unimaginable ways. They are the ones that deserve our concern. It is wrong for me to attempt to steal even an ounce of compassion that belongs to them.

I'm sure some of you thought this as you read, you were just too polite to say so. Sweet Dana even felt compelled to defend me, something I so appreciate but do not deserve. I love you for it.

So at the risk of this turning into Pity Party II, which is definitely not my intent, I'm going to turn that self-absorbed energy outward and do something about it. I had already sent in a contribution to World Vision, but somehow it doesn't seem enough in the wake of what God has shown me today.

I've decided to try again. I hope and pray that Wadson is still alive. If we find out that he is, we will be much better sponsors from here on out. He will hear from us and know who we are, that we love him and pray for him.

But I've also decided to start completely fresh. Today, Bailey and I are going to pick out a little girl from India to sponsor through Compassion International. I realize that might sound weird to pick India over Haiti, but not if you know my story. Bailey has been begging to adopt a sister from there for a long time, and we should have done this long ago. I know it's not the same as bringing a child into our home, but it is certainly a good start.

You can also contribute to the Haiti cause through Compassion International here.

Another wonderful place to contribute if you aren't familiar with them is an organization called Sweet Sleep. They are committed to building beds and providing bedding materials to orphans around the world. I have a permanent link on the right to their blog.

Times like these are perfect for showing the world who Jesus is. Our compassion and prayers should be directly focused on healing for the Haitian people, physical, emotional and spiritual. The work in Haiti is never going to end. It's up to us to show them that the same is true of the love of God.

**UPDATE**

Bailey had I had wonderful fun scrolling through the waiting children in India on Compassion's website. We have chosen a beautiful girl named Gayathri. I would post her picture, but I don't seem to have access to it at the moment, so I guess I'll have to wait until we get our packet in the mail sometime in the next two weeks. We are both so excited and can't wait to start corresponding with her!

As a side note, if you are interested in sponsoring a child, I would definitely go through Compassion. Everything I have seen about them leads me to believe that they make it very easy to have a real relationship with your child. World Vision thrives in other areas, but I don't think sponsorship is their biggest strength.