• Aug. 29, 2007
I Love N.O.
[When He saw the crowds, He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Matthew 9:36]
I'm so thankful that God allows what we see with our eyes to affect our hearts.
That was my prayer as we went down to New Orleans in June.
Oh, I'd heard of the 1,836 lives lost through Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent flooding. I'd heard of the destruction. But it was all so far removed. It was somewhere else. Some other people. It didn't really affect me...did it?
On this 2 year anniversary since Hurricane Katrina hit the gulf coast, I can honestly say that my heart is filled with compassion for these people. The faces of so many are imprinted on my heart. I think of Tessa...Dingo...Kiki. Some are still faceless, but their stories of survival resonate with me: Rescues from rooftops by helicopters...families separated for days and joyfully reunited; some separated for days and not reunited. There's the home that I worked in and gutted with my teammates. Shirley's home. All her earthly stuff of life piled in a heap for the trash truck. Everything stripped away.
Father God, forgive me for my judgmental and calloused heart. Teach me what it is to see people through Your eyes. I pray for those so deeply affected by the flooding of 2 years ago. While we want them to have a safe home and community to raise their families, we know their greatest need is You. I pray for those who are ministering down there even now. Enable them to bring not only physical relief, but give them opportunities to share the Hope that is You.
Move me with compassion for the lost, Father...
