When a tragedy strikes today we are immediately surrounded by words and images. We sit in our living rooms and stare at the screen insure of what to do. After all, you are sitting in relative luxury and looking into utter chaos and disaster that is only made possible by technology.
So what do you do? Many of us pick up the phone or go to our computers and make a gift. Usually we do this for a mixture of reasons. We want to feel like we did something. We want to ease our guilt. We want to make a difference. The reasons go on and on.
But as we are watching the images from this latest tragedy in Haiti, I would like to ask you to be generous in a different way. Here are some simple things that take a very different spin on how we as generous minds should response:
Our actions are usually so isolated. We assuage our emotions and respond based on our experiences. But a Generous Mind responds by sharing, connecting and bringing something they care about to a larger community.
Will you do that in this tragedy? Will you be a Generous Mind for the people of Haiti?
So what do you do? Many of us pick up the phone or go to our computers and make a gift. Usually we do this for a mixture of reasons. We want to feel like we did something. We want to ease our guilt. We want to make a difference. The reasons go on and on.
But as we are watching the images from this latest tragedy in Haiti, I would like to ask you to be generous in a different way. Here are some simple things that take a very different spin on how we as generous minds should response:
- If you don't know anything about Haiti, go to the CIA Factbook and get some understanding so that you can pray.
- Share what you have learned with a co-worker, someone in your family or someone at church.
- Pray with your family for the victims and talk about the tragedy with your kids.
- Give in community. Instead of making giving an isolated effort, give with your family, your church or your work. Transfer some of what you have learned to others and challenge them to action as well.
- Find out if there are Haitian churches in your city and reach out.
- Search the Bible and ask the questions about this kind of suffering and why God allows it.
Our actions are usually so isolated. We assuage our emotions and respond based on our experiences. But a Generous Mind responds by sharing, connecting and bringing something they care about to a larger community.
Will you do that in this tragedy? Will you be a Generous Mind for the people of Haiti?
Comments
Based on her position, a transformational (?)question that springs to mind is: how can we, like God, suffer with those who are suffering in this tragedy and resist the temptation to remain aloof? And is it possible that some gifts, or ways of giving, inoculate us from suffering and permit us to remain aloof?
I pick up my grandchildren after school and plan to engage them in conversation to help them understand more about the situation. Perhaps they will be able to share with some of their schoolmates as your children have done.