How should we respond?

I live in the Midwest.
We watch hurricanes on the news, but never have to board up windows and stock-pile supplies.
We watch forest fires out west, but never worry if our community will be evacuated or our house will be burnt down.
(We do deal with tornadoes and flooding, and sometimes an earthquake will rattle our foundation.)

But to be honest, the TV or internet is the closest we get to most of these major disasters.

So, how do we respond when it's not in our backyard?

1. We need to understand real people are hurting during these situations. Whether on the southern shores of Texas or the foreign shores of Indonesia. We need to realize that moms, dads, elderly grandparents, and toddlers are deeply affected during these situations. We need to put ourselves in their emotional shoes and try to understand what they are going through. Can we do that? Can we hurt when they hurt? Can we grasp that real people are in real need?

2. We need to pray. Invite Jesus into the situation. I'm not trying to be over-spiritual here. I just want to ask God to help the helpless. I want to stand up for those who may not even know there is a loving God who can help them during these times. I want to plead the case of the hurting. I want to prayerfully invest in people I don't even know. Most importantly, I want to call on the BEST relief effort hurting people can experience.

3. We need to DO more. It's time to get more involved in helping people. If you can go and help alongside a relief organization, then go. If you can donate money to buy supplies, then donate it. If you can buy a tarp, then buy it. Find small way to be a part of the solution. If we all DO something small, big tings can happen.

Hurricane Ike, or Gustav, or Travis (Can I get a storm named after me?) may leave people far away from your front door in desperate situations. However, we live in a world where geography doesn't stop us from getting involved.

God cares about hurting people, and so should we. Let's prepare to help in the next few days when Ike hits Texas. Then let's prepare to help during the next one. ...and the next one.