At first glance, the world sees Haiti as a country that is defined by its corrupt government, its poverty, and its inability to recover from a devastating earthquake last year. The media has done an exceptional job of portraying Haiti as a country that is broken and without hope. Images of desperation and tragedy fill the evening news and magazines. Bloggers have written about the lack of growth and recovery in this country, and posted these things as fact, which has in turn added to this country being defined by its circumstances.
Like so many others, I have been to Haiti. I have taken the time to hear the stories of the people, and listen to their hearts. I have sat and prayed with the man who fears how he will provide for his family. I have heard the loss in a young man’s heart as he told me about his father, sister, and nephew dying in the earthquake. I have sat with a family in their home and listened to them explain to me what life was like in Haiti prior to the earthquake, and after. I have heard the frustration in the voice of Haitians as the talk about their government abandoning them. These are typically the same stories you will read about in magazines and see on the news. What you won’t read very often, or see on the television, is that the stories ALWAYS continue past this. The world has been so fixated on defining Haiti by its circumstances, that we have failed to truly see into the hearts of the Haitian people and listen to what they are actually saying. Yes, these people have endured a great deal of hardship over the years, I will never deny that for them. However, this does not define them . . . not by their standards.
The Haitian people want the world to know that they are faithful, and despite the way the world has defined them, they still believe there is hope for their country because of their faith in God! We see the earthquake as devastating, they see it as an awakening . . . a rebirth of sorts. I cannot begin to describe why tragedy happens, but I will tell you that sometimes we experience things on this earth that are physical manifestations of things happening in the spiritual world. There has been a spiritual battle for Haiti that has been going on for over 200 years.
No matter what happens to Haiti and its people, this is a country that will endure and will rebuild. I know this confidently because these are people who have held on to a mustard seed of faith over the years and continue to put all of their trust in God! Matthew 13:31-32 speaks truth and hope over this country. As you reflect on Haiti a year after its earthquake . . . remember the tremendous faith these people have and ask yourself what you can do to help be the hands and feet of Christ to them.
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