Haiti. Today Grace and I watched President Obama make an announcement about the relief work the United States is doing for the devastation of the Haitian earthquake. Grace asked about the people there and why their homes collapsed. I told her because they weren't built strong enough to withstand the earthquake. I answered without knowing the truth, but I could see the fear in her eyes. She was so concerned that the people of Haiti weren't going to have homes. I told her that right now they just needed clean water. She didn't understand. I told her that many people didn't get out of their homes and that many of them died. Wow, not a conversation I planned on having this morning.
In their fleece feetsy pajamas, Maddie Jo laid in my arms and Grace cuddled next to me on the couch while we watched repeated images from the news of the people of Haiti struggle through the destruction and hopelessness on our 40 inch T.V.
I heard our home's heater kick on as the temperature of our home dropped below 73 degrees. As soon as a commercial for another ab machine came on Grace asked if she could watch the Mickey Mouse Club and I sat down with my home brewed cup of Starbucks at the kitchen table with my Macbook and decided to write this.
The red cross had a number on the news that you could text to donate $10 to the relief fund. I was going to but I remembered the thousands of dollars in credit card debt we are in, and the new furniture we wanted to buy.
Meanwhile I've got kids in my youth group using inappropriate words on their facebook because someone jacked their cell phone and then when the person who took it gave it back the phone didn't have their custom faceplate.
Is my life really that shallow? Last night at church a friend asked what James 2:17 meant. Faith without works is dead. Crazy. What does it really mean?
I suggested we pray for the people of Haiti. Grace closed her eyes and bowed her head, I said, "Oh, not now, as we go through our day." She said, "like before meals and bedtime?" I told her the Bible says we should pray without ceasing, then I explained what ceasing meant. I then fumbled through what praying without ceasing meant. Really, I can't explain to a five year old what pray without ceasing means?
I wonder what my prayer would look like if I was honest with God?
God. I'm really trying to get out of debt so I can buy some more stuff. I need to have cool jeans like that person and I need to lose weight so I can look like that person. Help me find new ways to fit more stuff in my day and if it is at all possible, please give me the confidence to get into more debt so I can buy disneyland tickets for my family so we can drive 25 minutes 2x a month to the happiest place on earth. Please help my kids be very smart so life is easy for them and don't let them ever get hurt. Help them obey me when I yell at them from the other room while I'm checking my facebook.
I try to love you,
Mark
