It’s a
normal Saturday for Esther in Uganda: laundry, pancakes, Institute homework,
thinking about trying to catch up on emails. The day always flies by too fast.
I went
outside to get Internet and check to see if my new laptop had arrived at its
Stateside destination for a returning staff member to bring it to Uganda early
next week. And that’s when it happened.
As I
checked Facebook, I found out about a major earthquake earlier in the day,
outside of Kathmandu, Nepal. A friend who was awakened by an early morning call
from her son to let her know he and his family were ok. A post from a
non-profit in the midst of building competitions and Stateside concerns.
And I had
just posted about being annoyed that mosquitoes were biting me because I had forgotten
to apply bug spray before going outside.
A minor
inconvenience to the trauma and tragedy hundreds of thousands of people are dealing
with right now in Nepal. The death toll, already nearing 900, will undoubtedly
rise. People, many injured, are/were scared to go back inside because
aftershocks continue rocking the buildings.
Somehow,
this time it’s sinking in further. So often, it’s easy to read about disasters
and just go about my life. But today, it hit home. As I went back inside,
thinking about how to spend the rest of my day, the incongruity and unfairness
of it all swept over me.
This
moment, there are probably people trapped in collapsed buildings, fighting for
their lives. There are thousands whose homes were destroyed, who will spend the
night outside in the cold. And I was debating what to have for dinner and whether
or not to watch a movie.
Incongruity.
It is only
by the Lord’s mercy that I am not suffering the same (Lamentations 3:22). That
I am instead enjoying innumerable comforts I still take for granted and resent
when I don’t have, even here in the bush of Uganda. Why them? Why not me? Why
suffering?
We were talking
about the sovereignty of God and the role of Satan in class last week. And then
this morning, hours before I became aware of all this, I read the part of
Romans 9 talking about how God prepares some for destruction and some for mercy
(vs. 14-29).
God could
have prevented this earthquake. He could have prevented all earthquakes, all
natural disasters. But He chooses not to – and the reason is always His plan
and His glory. Because He takes things meant for evil and turns them into good.
My brain can’t comprehend that, because for those hundreds and hundreds of
people who died it doesn’t seem like there can
be ANY good in it. But God knows. God loved and cared about every single one of
those people, each one as a unique and special creation of His.
It blows my
mind to try and think about this. Which is why God is the one in charge and not
me! And I am so thankful He is. As I sat on my bed trying to digest the discrepancy
between my “challenges” and the life-and-death situation of my fellow humanity
right now in Nepal, the tears came. How could I go on about my normal life in
the face of this disaster?
Thoughts
and ideas flitted through my mind, but the problem is so beyond anything I can
really do to affect it. Even prayer feels so small and helpless when looking at
things from the perspective of thousands wounded and/or homeless. But prayer is
the tool God has given us – and so I prayed. And I will keep on praying. Won’t
you join me?
Thankfully,
God also uses organizations and individuals to do things both small and big
which can help alleviate the hardship of some of these survivors in the coming
days and weeks. And just as it is the thought of the individuals who died which
makes this feel so overwhelming, so it is the thought of the individuals who
will be helped and sustained which brings hope and comfort.
Please pray
for Nepal. And please give to help with the relief efforts which will be taking
place. Samaritan’s Purse is one organization. I know there are others as well.
Don’t forget our fellow humanity in Nepal tomorrow, next week, even in the
coming months. They will still need your prayers and support.
