Christianity has done more than enough in the past 2000 years to earn a bad reputation, but when disasters strike, like the one in Haiti, authentic Christ followers have always been among the first to lend support and aid. We may disagree on some minor theological points and we may not play well together at times, but we do tend to rally together when the need is the most urgent.
I heard a report today that 90 percent of the non-government aid coming to Haiti was from faith-based organizations. As taxpayers and citizens, we have also contributed to the government relief and military support that is helping bring order and stability to Haiti. I am grateful the church has responded with such generosity and is part of the solution to a seemingly insurmountable problem.
Christ followers are a hopeful people who love to serve and love to give, but sometimes it takes a disaster to remind us of our core mission. In a season of economic instability and uncertainty, we gave generously, even when the need right here at home was great.
I pray we will continue to serve the people of Haiti after the media spotlight has dimmed and world attention has turned to some other global crisis. The problems in Haiti are decades old and the solutions are not simple or easy. We must not give up on these precious people. Jesus told us we would always have the poor among us. He did not tell us this as an excuse to ignore them but to remind us to never stop serving them.