In the recent aftermath of the Haiti earthquake, many people have begun to ask why such things can happen. How should a Christian respond? If God is good, righteous and loving then why is there such devastation, death, and destruction through "natural disasters" like earthquakes and tsunamis Of course some people have been quick to respond with an answer. "Because somewhere in the long ago past, the Haitian people must have made a deal with the devil for which they are now paying the price." It is divine retribution, the pedants say and profess to have knowledge the rest of us are too ignorant to know, or so the logic goes. Such answers make everything right with the world and calm the fears that something like this could ever happen to people like us, people who are self-proclaimed “righteous ones” and thus separated from the pain of the world. We see, but we do not feel. In this world, every pain can be explained away, every disaster bears the mark of divine judgment, and every broken heart is deserved. Really? So how's that working out for you? A child lies in a hospital bed in any city you like receiving chemo for leukemia that is ravaging her white blood cells. Is this too divine punishment for the sins of her great, great grandmother and father? We see, but we do not feel. A mother has had to escape an abusive relationship in order to save her life and the lives of her children. Where will she go, what will she do, who will reach out and help her in her hour of need? We see, but we do not feel. A nursing home is filled to overflowing with aging human beings, mothers, fathers, lovers, professionals, and athletes of all kinds who no longer receive visitors or are even an acknowledgment that they exist. We see, but we do not feel. Haiti is on the news, images play daily and we are slowly becoming numb to the reality of the suffering the death that fallen like a shroud on this tropical paradise. Death has come to paradise and we get to watch in High Definition. We see, but we do not feel. Our response has been around since the dawn of time. “His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" [John 9:2] Surely someone deserved to have this happen. We see, but we do not feel. What is the cause for this effect? Jesus says that we are asking the wrong question, the question is not why, but how. How will we respond in the face of overwhelming need? With compassion and love or with judgment and indifference? If we solve the “WHY” question it elevates the burden on us to help. After all they had it coming. If we engage the “HOW” question it takes us deeper into the rabbit hole and we discover a world of shared responsibility in the human community. It is, after all, the Kingdom of God we are searching for. Paul said it best, “We live by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7 So how do we respond to the disaster in Haiti, we feel and we are broken. Our response flows out of our brokenness.