This past weekend Hurricane Matthew reaped havoc on several countries in the Caribbean as well as several states in the United States. While everyone in its path was affected in some way, from lives lost to property damage, the most catastrophic damage can be found in Haiti.
Haiti, the poorest country in Latin America, was still in the process of recovering from the earthquake they experienced in 2010 when Hurricane Matthew hit. With the death toll around 1000 people currently, the number of lives lost continues to rise as cholera becomes rampant in the deplorable conditions people are now forced to live in. Crops are gone, livestock killed, clean water nowhere to be found, and shelter few and far between.
Despite all of the destruction and utter hopelessness surrounding them, many of the survivors woke up Sunday morning and made their way to church. They worshipped and prayed in what was left of their churches, with many missing pews, roofs, and some buildings so ripped apart that nothing was left. Instead of having anger towards God and resenting Him for allowing their loved ones to die and all of their possessions to be destroyed, these people were praising God for the miracle it was that they were still alive.
I don’t know about you, but the more I think about this the harder I find it to fight back the feelings of guilt I’m experiencing. We Christians in the United States are well beyond spoiled. We complain when we get uncomfortable sitting in the padded pews for too long, when the church is too hot or too cold, when the service runs too long and we have to wait, God forbid, 20 minutes longer to eat. We make excuses to not be in church every chance we get, putting work and fun activities before worshipping Jesus. Yet these citizens of the poorest country in Latin America, where everything they have is destroyed, are finding time to wade through flood waters and step over crumbled buildings to praise the God who allowed them to live another day.
If we woke up tomorrow with half of our friends and family dead, our house completely destroyed, and the threat of starvation and diseases imminent, would our first reaction be to turn to God and praise Him? Take the destruction that Hurricane Matthew caused and focus on how you can use it to change your life. When you wake up early on Sunday morning, don’t think about all the other things you could be doing with your time. Be grateful you have a place to worship and the freedom to do so. When the stress of work or school bears down on you, be grateful you have a job or the opportunity to pursue an education. Appreciate your friends and family, no matter how annoying they can be at times. We fail to realize each day just how good our lives are and instead take everything we have for granted. Even on your worst days there is always something to be grateful for.
