Recently, I had the privilege of going to Grand Goâve Haiti with the college group that I co-lead. While we were there, we stayed with an organization called The Hands and Feet Project. Their aim is to end the “hand-out” mentality that has been perpetuated in Haiti since the horrendous earthquake in 2010 by creating sustainable jobs for disadvantaged peoples. The influx of NGOs to the island that intended to help aid the Haitian population unfortunately did not estimate the long term effects that their presence would have on the economy and the community at large.
With all of that in mind, our team’s purpose in going was to help Hands and Feet wherever we were needed. It just so happened that much of our time there consisted of doing manual labor at the compound moving stones, old cement, and rather large boulders. I don’t need to spell every little detail out for you, but it was hard work. And long. And rewarding. And encouraging. And hot. And a great time for reflection.
Part of that reflection came about as we unearthed particularly stubborn rocks that did not want to leave the hard, dry ground they were accustomed to being buried in. As each of us steadily persisted in digging these rocks and/or boulders up, I began to think about the fact that there are so many things in our own lives that we tend to neglect, just like those boulders, because it’s easier to pretend like a problem doesn’t exist than it is to face it head on. To begin with, a boulder is a very prominent and noticeable object. It isn’t something easily hidden. And it isn’t something that’s easily tossed away either. It takes a very intentional and strenuous lifting or pushing to move such a heavy object. But as time goes on and as the seasons persist, the things that once were so prominent and apparent in our lives may be buried under the dust and mire of busyness, or neglect. Sin or selfishness in our lives may be protrusive and disruptive, until we accustom ourselves to living in the rhythms of the very things we may have despised at one point. And as we are so used to leading our lives in such a way, it becomes an arduous and exhausting process to unearth what we have grown comfortable with.
As we spent several days going through this process, it became apparent that we were all getting tired and needed the encouragement of each other more than ever to keep pressing into the task at hand. The exhaustion that ensued from lifting, digging and wheelbarrowing these mountains of rocks day after day highlighted the fact that people need a community. We need each other to encourage, to be encouraged, and to hold one another accountable as we keep pressing on, even as we are weary. We need each other to help one another carry the weight of sin that clings so closely and intimately to every human being. We need each other as we fail, so that we are encouraged to get back up and try again. And we need each other, as we are instruments being skillfully played in order to elicit a melody that reflects the tumult of this life.
So although moving rocks and boulders was a difficult task, I wouldn’t trade that experience for another. Especially since I was blessed to witness the beauty of people coming together in order to strive for a cause that was inspired by a God who is passionate about taking what was once dust, and transforming it into something stunningly beautiful.
So what are these “rocks” or “boulders” in your life? Are you weary? Do you have someone else to come alongside of you and help dig it out, willing to endure the pain of that process with you? I hope your answer is yes; I hope you remember you’re never alone.
