29/08/2026
It’s been a surreal week. Dolly Parton died, my family and I had to sweat through three days without AC and then there is Nepal.
As I sat sipping my Mocha at Starbucks yesterday morning, I began thinking about the comfort I was living in while thousands were battling chaos 8k miles away in Nepal. On top of that, a personal friend and colleague was grieving because of all the people he knew who died in that tragic flood.
I understand that what happened in Nepal this week is not the only disaster striking the world. A few years ago, I went through Hurricane Helene and my neighbors house was completely destroyed. So I get it. There is crap that takes place all over the world and it often hits without warning or on a level of severity we may not have understood was coming our way, like so many of us who went through Helene.
Yet, here I was sitting at Starbucks staring out the window in a comfortable air conditioned coffee shop using their internet while I sipped my favorite coffee drink.
As I continued looking out the window, I was reminded of another truth.
Crisis situations come and go. They have in the past and will in the future. Every day, someone is facing a crisis. Every day, a community or multiple communities are facing a disaster of some kind. While that is happening, there are people who are not in a major crisis mode and are living life normally, as we commonly refer to it.
For those of us who are not experiencing the current crisis in Nepal or any major crisis that is upheavaling our lives, we should consider our response to Nepal.
What Nepal needs are people who are not in crisis mode to step into their crisis to extend a Hand Up, not a hand out. They need people to help them get back up, tidy up and rebuild so they can carry on. They need people to care while they are currently in despair.
We don’t have to go through their crisis to care. If we were all in a crisis, there would be no one left to help those in a crisis. So I am thankful I got to sit in that coffee shop and drink my Mocha because I know when Hurricane Helene hit my community a few years ago, we got to see many step into our crisis and help our community, many of whom were not affected by Helene.
Why do I bring this up? I bring this up because sometimes people feel guilty for being in a good place but I have something to say about that.
Never (ever ever) feel guilty for where you are in life but never forget those who cannot currently enjoy the moment you're in.
Crisis can hit any one of us at any given moment. None of us are immune. Because of that reality, we need to ensure we step in to help others when we have the ability. And most of us can step in on multiple levels like giving something, even if it’s only one dollar, and praying.
Because when our crisis hits our lives, we sure want others to come to us. So let’s not forget others when they need us. Let’s be the Salt and Light of Jesus in a world that needs Him.
