Just returning from another trip to Asia brings me to a greater awareness of the magnitude of catastrophic disaster when an overpopulated area is affected by an unexpected tragedy with an underdeveloped system to meet such crises. Myanmar has been hard hit politically, agriculturally and now catastrophically through the wrath of a cyclone. Sichuan province in China has been devastated through an earthquake with results that are still being discovered and loss that is still being grieved.
Tragedies like this only increase when the population and growth exceeds the ability to manage disaster. The humanitarian heart and Christian love, however, are only fully revealed when the tragedy strikes. So, on the front side is the alarm of impending struggle. On the back side is the opportunity for Christians to be posed for assistance and expressions of sacrificial love. We will never control the first. We can always be prepared for the second. But, our heart and mind must already "be there." We must already be in a position of "practiced love" and "skilled compassion" in order to be able to see and respond. Weak sentimentality just will not get it done. Bleeding hearts generally only bleed. The Free Methodist Church is filled with churches and individuals who are practiced and prepared, because it is part of their makeup. It seems to be the same churches and individuals who step up at times like this, not because they are better or kinder than anyone else. They are simply experienced and responsive. In time, I would hope to see many churches and individuals who have not been in the game for a while to step up and say, "Put me in, coach. I’m ready to play." My prayer is that the heart muscles of otherwise atrophied sections will be once again exercised to express what a "global local church" is all about.