Monday, April 5, 2010

Broken Heart

I cannot say that my heart has healed yet from what we experienced in Ethiopia. Maybe it is not supposed to. I got tears in my eyes as we sang in church Easter Sunday the words of Chris Tomlin, especially the part about no more sorrow or pain.

There's a peace I've come to know
Though my heart and flesh may fail
There's an anchor for my soul
I can say "It is well"
Jesus has overcome
and the grave is overwhelmed...
And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise on eagles' wings
Before my God fall on my knees
And rise
I will rise

We had dinner with a couple here in San Antonio that have a ministry called "For Hearts and Souls" where they do pediatric heart surgery all over the world, including Iraq, Kosovo, Mongolia, etc. They were a huge encouragement to us as they identified with our experiences.
One statement she wrote in her blog about their recent trip to Iraq struck me as true.

It is a difficult thing to have your heart broken by the things that break the heart of God.

Her husband, a pediatric heart surgeon, reiterated that sentiment at dinner, "That sounds romantic and all, but in reality your heart is BROKEN and that is not necessarily an easy thing." So, now when I hear songs or see images that make me cry a lot more easily, perhaps I am just allowing myself to feel that broken heart. Why does it take an act of God like an earthquake in Haiti for people to wake up to the realities of lack of medical care in developing countries? When will it become unacceptable for us to stand by with all of our excess in the US without giving and going to those in need? I can either ignore or forget what I've seen or I can do something about it and inspire others to do the same.