When Bad Things Happen

There's no denying that a bad thing has happened this week in Haiti. 45,000, maybe 50,000 or more, people dead. Everyone's weighed in on this tragedy: the news media, Rush Limbaugh, Pat Robertson, the General Boards of The United Methodist Church. Everyone's weighed in; that's usually the case when bad things happen.

I can only imagine the devastation that exists in Haiti, the fear that the people there have experienced, the heartbreak of families, friends, and neighbors. It's frightening to think how life can be ordinary one moment and, in the next, totally out of hand!

Where is God in all this? That's the question I heard today, several times. Where is God?

Here's the thought that came to me as I read United Methodist reports on Haiti. Where is God in all this? God is in the relief people from The United Methodist Church who were already in Haiti for reasons not yet disclosed. Already there, these trained men and women can make a difference. Where is God in all this? God is in those six VIM (Volunteer in Mission) groups from the United States who were already in Haiti to lend their talents and skills to the people of the country. Where is God in all this? God is in United Methodists who are preparing to go to Haiti as first responders. Where is God in all this? God is in United Methodist congregations throughout the world who are making up Health Kits for the people of Haiti and collecting money to send to UMCOR. Where is God in all this? God is in every act of compassion and restoration that happens in Haiti.

The people called United Methodist will gather their resources from every corner of the globe and send them into this earthquake ravaged country. Long after every other agency is gone, UMCOR will stay in Haiti until the work is done. Where is God in all this? God is in Haiti in the form of United Methodists (and many, many others) who will remain there until the country is restored to wholeness.

When bad things happen in one part of the world, it is a call to the rest of the world to remember what God requires of us, "to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God," and to respond in faith with an experience of grace.

A bad thing has happened in Haiti. What will we do?