Haiti

I have this burning desire to do something for the people of Haiti, but what do I do with it? It is really easy to just get caught up in the moment and want to go "make a difference"...but I think this is something more than that. As American members of the body of Christ we are in an extremely influential place. We have the resources to take a good hard look and something and get things done. We have the networks, the money, the technology, and the list goes on. However, we also have the abilitiy to shut all of this off. To turn the channel so that we don't have to think about the devestation and loss of life. To change the conversation topic to something that is a bit more user friendly and doesn't necessarily call us to action.

Sometimes I think we get so caught up in the fact that we have all this that we take the side of apathy and instead of action, we wait. We wait until someone comes directly to us and begs us to use our abilities and use our resources and then go to action after we feel needed. I am very guilty of this in my career search. My desire is that someone or something --preferrably God or possibly the angel Gabriel-- would just drop in and slap me across the face and say, "Listen, you have these gifts, I have these needs, let's get going with this. That hasn't happened...so guilty as charged. But what would it look like if I simply trusted God. If I took a step myself and organized a trip to Haiti or a drive for money or prayer or both. How would God be active if I was simply obedient to what I felt he was asking of me? Maybe this is more what Paul had in mind when he talked about the body of Christ in Romans and Corinthians.

So I understand this, but I still get caught up in the if's, ands, and buts. For instance, if I go to Haiti over spring break, I won't have the opportunity to visit potential jobs and go interview. Or if I go to Haiti I probably would leave Erica behind due to safety reasons. I don't know. These are some of the things I am struggling through right now: What does it look like to be an active member of the body of Christ and what does that look like for me vocationally? Is there a business in for profit or non profit that I can work for that really excites me and allows me to use my abilities for the needs of the world? And how can I make all this knowledge into a tangible, functioning faith that is visible and can be used. I don't have answers in this struggle, but I cling to Romans 8:28-29a.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. for those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son..."