A Closer Look

I took this picture from the top of one of those mountains I was surprised to see in Haiti. While my photography is not so great, you don’t need a fancy camera to really capture the greatness of God’s creation. I mean I stuck my hand out of a moving car and snapped the picture and it could be a postcard, no?

We’ve spent a lot of time between the top of this mountain and that ocean you see down below. While at a glance it could be the cover of a brochure for any Caribbean destination, if you were to zoom in and take a closer look you’d see what we’ve seen. You’d see what lies between…

An impoverished nation, ravished by an earthquake, corrupt government, and voodoo. You’d be outraged by the injustice, you’d be compelled to some sort of action, you’d possibly give the shirt off your back, the shoes on your feet, or the lunch you had packed for yourself, you might write a check, or a letter to the President. You’d fight for justice like you’ve never fought before.

You might meet my friend Benita or Popeye-eye or Solemn Sam and fall in love, suffer a broken heart, and cry because you have to leave them in the despair they know as life! You will lose sleep. You may feel compelled to start the long, expensive, quest of adoption. You’ll love like you’ve never loved before.

You would see my friend Magdala who has sores and a belly full of worms from an unsanitary living environment, nearly blonde hair and not even the energy to cry due to malnourishment. You’d insist on footing the doctor bill and vow to find her a suitable place to live. But she’s only ONE. You’d call your dr. friends and plead their case. You pray like you’ve never prayed before.

You’d see bare feet and bare bottoms, and you’d email everyone you know asking for soles for souls and all the new undies they can send! You’d go home and empty your closet of the excess. You’d give like you’ve never given before.

Sometimes it’s much easier NOT to take a closer look. But I think we’re supposed to.

A closer look at our own family, a closer look at our co-workers, our church, our community. Maybe it’s to zoom in on the nations we share this globe with, maybe even our enemies! While the post card view is pretty sweet, and a closer look is not exactly for the faint of heart; zooming in will compel you to a greater cause, a deeper love, a more fervent prayer, a bigger blessing.

I was blind, but now I see.