Sunday, January 17, 2010

Way too Out There

This week I was hoping to officially launch the new Because Every Mother Matter's campaign. Exciting stuff in the works. Then news of Haiti hit. My mind and heart shifted to the unimaginable devastation that the people of Haiti were faced with and I just stopped or seemed unable to focus on the task at hand-Because Every Mother Matters-This is also the week my sister died suddenly a few years ago. It seemed no matter how much I wanted to concentrate my efforts on life saving campaigns I kept being drawn towards death and calamity. Every where I turned and even in sleep I saw death. I saw suffering. People hurting. Mother's wailing (including my own) for children lost. Everyone asking, "Why?, oh why God?" I found myself wanting to ask. Wanting to question the Almighty. And it is in this place. The place that we all witnessed to some extent this week. We can see and find the answer. If we just readjust our focus. And if we truly seek. We see His face. At least I do. And I no longer feel the need to question why. Because if I really look....look beyond the death. See beyond the tragedy. Listen to the intent of the screams and feel the undeniable presence of the Spirit...only then will I understand. We live in a world where crap happens. We live a world that is unjust. We live in a world that knows pain. We live in a world that is dark. Our body starts the process of death upon conception. We are HUMANS. We are ugly and tragic and trapped by our very nature. To blame God for what happens to us is to completely miss the very nature of your existence and to dismiss the beautiful and dangerous gift of free will. Darkness is devoid of light but it doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. And even in the light there are shadows. In all of us both are prevalent. Too see the total destruction of Haiti you also have to bare witness to the beauty. The stories you read of heroes being born. Men rising up to serve. Women courageously protecting and saving lives. People from all over the world coming forward to help. Communities uniting. Organizations forming. Churches praying. Mothers' clinging fervently to their children. Even in the dark. In the death. Light will shine. Lives will change. Our promise of life is not in this world. As I mourn and am left heartbroken for Haiti, I am filled with hope for the knowledge of the LORD. As I watch my own mother continue to cry for her lost child and watch the mothers of Haiti cry for theirs....I am still filled with AWE of how great God's love is. Our spirit cries out even in joy and yet it is filled with pain. Pain of feeling disconnected which can only be truly satisfied when we are in His presence.
I know I completely went off on a tangent here. As I reread my words I pray that they are understood. But I am not naive and I know that to some I will sound like a dork...and that's okay. Because I am.

Oh yeah...Before I went in a whole other direction-My point was...I felt weird launching Because Every Mother Matters in light of what happened in Haiti. I did not want to diminish focus, funds, or peoples hearts to wanting to serve there. It felt weird. Then the more I thought I started feeling like a complete idiot. The fact is...People are dying everywhere. Mothers and their children are facing unthinkable hardships in every country. For me to hold off a campaign to help the mommies in Uganda to help the mommies in Haiti seemed crazy. A LIFE IS A LIFE. EVERY MOTHER MATTERS! So whether you feel led to help a Haitian mother, a Ugandan mother, or a mother across the street...just do it.

If you are looking for an organization you can support in Haiti I recommend contacting Jocelyn.
She started Redeeming waters and will be heading to Haiti this week. Since she is a small organization you can know that she will personally use your donations to make a difference.
Contact her through her site.

And yes, I will be writing more about Because Every Mother Matters and what we are doing.

1 comment:

Sean and Lisa said...

Love your perspective, your heart and your passion. Awesome post Steff!
Girlfriend God just SHINES through YOU!!!!!