jennifersmith - Survival

People say no one ever died from a broken heart, but when you're suffering from one, it sure doesn't feel that way.

* All pictures were taken by me in Haiti *

I've been thinking a lot about survival since being in Haiti. This nation is plagued by survival mechanisms. In fact, that is what I noticed most when I was there.

There was very little confidence in the LORD. It was clear their assurance was in man, "America, where are you?" My actual prayer is that the church comes through for our friends, and their confidence growns in Him!

One of the Haitian pastors we met said, "God gave us many revelations to bring to Haiti, but as leaders, we didn't see how. We felt Haiti was prepared for anything. We were so used to everything. But after what happened, we found out we were wrong."

It's all too familiar. When you live through so much hell, when continuous calamity happens in your life - endless pain, rejection, deception, tragedy - lies get filtered constantly and even magnified in your mind. They are bombarding. Those lies become strongholds. Strongholds become a way of life. Life becomes survival... and nothing else.

This trip took me back to when I was homeless on the streets. I did "whatever" it took to endure just to keep going while never actually living. I robbed, stole, cheated, deceived; life became a race to win, but there was no prize in the end, only a new day to start surviving all over again.

Here is a girl whose survival story is this:

She is 21 years old and was in school (she's a pre-med student) when the earthquake happened. It happened so fast that she could not run to safety. Very quickly, she was trapped in the rubble. She was swallowed up by the earth. It was dark and a suddenly cold. As she lied there hour after hour, though she did not fear death, she wondered if she would die. One day later, as she was crying out, some people heard her but could not dig her out. Eventually, they gave up and left. (I'm certain they had their own destruction to overcome.)

She responded by crying out to Jezi (Jesus). As she cried out to JESUS, she testifies that He sent her an angel. He comforted her with His presence. At almost three days under the rubble, she became a survivor! She was pulled out. She was rescued.

This young lady will live... unlike tens of thousands others. A scripture that was put on my heart immediately to pray is, "For the LORD sustained me." (Ps 3:5) He was her sustainer. For another miraculous story of how God sustained a little boy, click here!

Question. What does it take to survive? Fate? Money? Common Sense? A gun? Water? Food? Can you be alone and survive? Do you need others? Is it a matter of believing in yourself? I asked my friend, Robbie, what he thought about when he heard "survive" and he said, "To overcome extreme opposition." TRUE. But the keyword here is overcome, not survive.

Another Haitian pastor said this, "God let us know that He is Creator of His work. God let us know that He is here in the middle of disaster. In the middle of disaster, many passed away, the rest of us, God let us see His power. The new Haiti is to come!" --- AMAZING!

The "rumor" going around Haiti right now is, "If you are still alive, no matter the condition you are in, the TRUE God has a purpose for your life."

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity." (Jeremiah 29:11-14)

Survival

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