Reality. Often times we turn our head and try to distract ourselves from the discomforts of life. Tragedy and horrors seem so distant from us that we forget the pictures and footage we see of war-torn lands on the other side of the planet. Images go viral, we shed a tear and don’t remember it by the end of the day. Maybe some of us donate a couple bucks to relief efforts or share a photo on social media, but do we truly care? Distraction is too easy to come by with all the images that are constantly thrown at us and it appears that we’ve lost our ability to humanize one another.

It’s time we came back to reality. Instead of viewing pictures of other people as two-dimensional snippets of suffering, look at them as fellow human souls. We would desire no less if we lived their life. When our eyes land on footage of people carrying bloodied loved ones through the streets, our hearts should be pulled in their direction. The action we should never take is the diversion of our eyes from their suffering. How would we feel if desperate need overtook us and those who could help simply looked away? Humanize the pictures you see and remember that they have souls.

But what can we do that will make a long-term difference to these lives? Pray. Pray. Pray. It seems outrageous to pray to God when He would allow such suffering to take place, but we cannot forget that it’s the result of our fallen nature. If there was no hurt, pain, or loss the chance for having faith never would arise and we’d possess no opportunity to demonstrate our belief in God. Faith shows that we trust God despite the hopelessness surrounding us and those in need of love. So don’t look away, but pray because reality is inescapable.