It
broke the solemnity and peace of Christmas in an instant. It quickly
erupted from deep below the ocean and the shift of mass toward
the Earth's center caused the planet to spin 3 microseconds, or
one millionth of a second, faster and to tilt about an inch on
its axis.
It
roared past the silence of the Christmas season and registered
9.2 on the Richter scale... and as quick as it erupted, it was
gone. But not before triggering some of the deadliest waves and
flooding in a dozen countries, from Thailand to East Africa. At
the writing of this reflection, the death toll sits at over 125,000,
with over half of those deaths were reported in Indonesia, the
nearest land mass to last Sunday's undersea earthquake. Mass graves
have begun for the bodies discovered and where graves are not
possible, pyres have been created to burn the remains of hundreds
and thousands of bodies; bodies that once teemed with untold human
potential and life...
Utterly
horrific and unfathomable. It is only these four words that
I have been able to come up with in an attempt to capture the
images I have been witnessing on the national networks. Unprepared
for and unknowing of what was about to occur, many persons in
the region were just waking up to a Sunday morning of church services.
And in a few short moments, their dreams and future - and life
- were quickly swept away in the power tsunami that followed the
massive earthquake.
As
new images of the devastation and heartache continue to be transmitted
across the world, it almost leaves a person's soul empty of hope.
Utterly horrific and unfathomable must be the pain felt by so
many families and loved ones. Utterly horrific and unfathomable
must the loss felt by so many who lost their young children and
elderly in the tidal waves that crashed across these dozen countries.
It literally leaves a world numb from shock and horror at the
disaster that occurred and the impending disease that will take
so many more lives in the coming weeks and months. It is unimaginable
the sense of hopelessness and despair that must exist from this
day forward for our fellow humans in this region. A journey beyond
hope.
But
I know in my heart of hearts that there remains one consolation;
only one force in this universe that could possibly begin to counteract
this tragic crisis. It is the utterly terrific and unfathomable
love of God. It is a height of hope that can only match and surpass
the depth of despair felt at this moment. It is a force, a feeling,
a drive that courses through each of our being and connects us
with one another, whether we are separated by miles or cultural
backgrounds. It is this love that causes us to initially ask the
question, "What could I possibly do?" and then mysteriously
moves us to get up and act.
Is
this horrible event an "act of God?" Absolutely not.
But it is our response in the aftermath that becomes the true
measure of an "act of God."
There
are numerous credible groups on the CNN website toward which to
donate any funds that you might have available at this time -
many which will allow you to earmark your funds toward this specific
disaster relief. Should
you wish to donate, refer to the following webpage on the CNN
website:
AID
GROUPS ACCEPTING DONATIONS FOR VICTIMS