Aftershock!

As I was celebrating my 48th birthday on January 15, an 11-year-old girl from Port-au-Prince, Haiti was ushered into eternity.  Now I understand that life and death occur every minute of every day, but the circumstances of this little girl’s death have really gripped me.

This little girl had been trapped, all alone for three days before rescuers finally heard her cries for help. Her right leg was crushed and held her pinned beneath tons of rubble.  Upon being discovered, the girl was conscious, able to eat and drink, and was able to talk to her rescuers as they worked to free her.  After hours of digging, they were able to free her from the rubble, but sadly, just one hour later, she died from her injuries.  Her last words spoken were, “Mother, don’t let me die.”

This story has broken my heart.  Maybe it’s partly due to the fact that I have a 9-year-old little girl who will turn 10 in a few months, and I’ve tried to imagine what it would be like if it was my daughter who was trapped, alone, afraid, and in pain.  My heart aches for this little girl and her family.

The earthquake that shook Haiti is over, but the aftershock is being felt all over the world.  This little girl is just one of hundreds of thousands of stories that could be told by people whose lives have been turned up-side-down.  But now, here’s the point of my article…don’t miss it…As we sit in our comfortable homes with our families, let us not, because of our own personal comfort, forget the second greatest commandment, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39).  Don’t allow this opportunity to minister in the name of Jesus to pass you by without doing what you can to help your neighbor.