Crisis - Why Do We Care?

“Local people that don’t even know us…have bought our kids shoes, clothes, food, drink. It’s amazing.” – Robert Moore, father of Bluffton University baseball player (March 05, 2007 www.dispatch.com)

"We stand together tonight not as Democrats or Republicans but as citizens of the world, as Americans, as brothers and sisters with pain and with hurt," said Rep. John Lewis, D-Georgia. "We are a circle of trust that cannot be broken. We are one people. We are one family. We are one nation." (September 11, 2001 http://www.cnn.com/)

Crisis always heightens our awareness of others… at least for some period of time.

Turn on the news or pick up a newspaper. You will see stories of people in crisis. Some major. Some seem minor to those not involved. Why do we care?

I am convinced that the Bible is not about do’s and don’ts but about relationship. The relationship between people and mankind’s relationship to God.

Some may ask – as I have – why would a loving God allow such horrible things to happen. I’m not going to attempt to say I understand the answer but I have discovered something about crisis in my personal life. Crisis brings people into relationship. Strangers give of their time, money and possessions. They risk their own safety for people they’ve never seen before. Friends take extra steps to share themselves and to cry with those they’ve only laughed with. We discover others are just like us.

Satan has successfully deceived this culture into believing individualism, self-sufficiency and independence are things to achieve. Those are the very things that pull us apart. We blame others for our struggles and we view God only as a rule maker.

Sad to say, but crisis seems to be the only thing that makes our nation Christ-like anymore.

I think there is something in all of us that wants to be in relationship with others. It’s called love. It comes from God alone. The greatest commandments, Jesus said, are to love God and love your neighbors. Maybe Jesus wasn’t saying “this is what you must do or else.” Maybe he was saying “the most fabulous component of your human programming is to love. The success of everything else in your life depends on this element functioning properly.”

So why do we care when there is a crisis? It is part of our natural design. We are created and programmed to care.

I keep saying I’m going to invite neighbors over for dinner. Have other families over just to visit, play cards, and laugh. Lord, may I do it before a crisis hits.