The cold air refreshed me as I waited for this morning's bus to Foggy Bottom. I wouldn't have complained even if it had been bitterly cold. I couldn't complain after seeing more horrific images this morning of Tuesday's massive earthquake in Haiti.

As I head to a routine day at work, it is chilling to think what it would be like if every element of my routine was gone. What if my condo building was demolished, my family was missing, my office was flattened, and there wasn't any clean water to drink? This will be a common reality for thousands of the Haitian people.

I wish I could hold on to this moment of fresh perspective, but that is a challenge for me. American individuals and businesses will give millions of dollars over the next few weeks toward the Haitian relief effort, but how quickly will our minds shift right back to the daily grind?

While major catastrophes force me to stop my routine and come face-to- face with the world's pain and suffering, I choose to look past hurting people on a daily basis. Every once and a while I will pray, "God, make me aware of the suffering that breaks your heart." God's answer is simple and hard for me to practice. "Jared, lift up your eyes and you will see the pain that breaks my heart." Frankly, it's a lot easier for me to walk with my eyes fixed to my next step on the sidewalk.

My challenge is to continually look for a fresh perspective or risk living an inward-focused life.