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Author: Kate Murray
I’ve been thinking about hope a lot lately.
Most of this pondering has been spurred by the news reports that have come out of Haiti over the past two weeks. If you haven’t heard by now, Haiti suffered a devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake followed by several aftershocks that would normally be considered severe earthquakes in their own right. Buildings have crumbled in Port-au-Prince, the nation’s capital, as well as the surrounding area. Hundreds of thousands of people have died and many have been without food and water for days now. All of this is on top of the fact that at least 70% of the population in that area already lived in extreme poverty.
I have friends who were in Haiti when the earthquake struck and have read and heard their accounts of watching people die literally in front of them. They were surrounded by destruction and death.
And yet, many of the stories I continue to hear speak of hope in the midst of such a tragedy.
These same friends who witnessed the death and destruction of the earthquake, found hope in the people of Haiti – people who cared for them when they were originally there to care for them. They joined the Haitians in singing songs to God, thankful for God’s presence in the midst of the chaos.
And then came the news stories of people being pulled out of the rubble alive. First it was a seven year old boy and an eleven year old girl who were pulled out a week after the quake. Then it was a five year old boy eight days after and a 22 year old man 10 days after. The latest is a man who survived on soda for 11 days following the quake.
When do you give up hope? When do you stop looking for your loved ones in the rubble with hope that they will still be alive? By most accounts (especially the Haitian government which recently suspended rescue efforts), these people who have been pulled out should not have been found alive. But they were! I’m sure these stories of rescued survivors only spurs the hope of others still searching for the missing.
But it also spurs my hope. Hope for a better future for the people of Haiti despite the current condition of the country. Hope for a changed world – a world transformed by the God of Hope. Hope that no matter how bad today may be, tomorrow will be better. And if not tomorrow, then the next day. Hope that even in the midst of death, God is still at work, giving life to all of us.
What, in your life, gives you hope?
Photo courtesy of kwerfeldein (rights)
