From Our Minister: We Need One Another
It feels like we are all walking an invisible tightrope between the reality we used to know, and the one we find ourselves in today. I can feel a tension that rides just below the surface of every conversation. The news, whether you’re reading articles, listening to the radio, or are actually brave enough to watch TV, keeps reporting things that just shouldn’t be happening in our democratic republic.
I feel like I am watching out of the corner of my eye, paying just enough attention to see what’s going on, but also guarding against slipping into despair. Despair is not helpful.
But what do we do? How do we navigate a reality in which this president is sending troops into our cities and towns? What is overreaction? What is a reasonable and appropriate response to this unparalleled (in our lifetimes) situation?
We can pray. It seems old fashioned to some, but prayer is a part of my daily spiritual practice. I’m not asking any anthropomorphized deity to save us. I am opening my heart to the flow of energy in which we live and breathe and have our being. I am sending love to the world around me; to those suffering, to those in pain. I’m opening to that beginning source of life, from which everything springs, and mourning all the losses we face. I ground myself in this earth, our mother, source of everything good and beautiful, and remember that no matter what happens, we all return to her, we all belong to the rich earth beneath our feet.
Instead of shrinking in my fear, I try, every day, to expand into the forces which are so much bigger than my tiny self. My ragged breath calms, my heart slows. I can feel the sunshine again and hear the chorus of the birds.
From this place, grounded in a reality that despots and tyrants know nothing about, I can choose the actions I will take to live out my values and my faith. This might be a letter to the editor. It might be showing up at a protest. It might be attending a local school board or town council meeting. But it begins with knowing I am not alone.
This church is creating paths to help live out your values. If you are called to pray – do it with your whole heart. We are made of energy and our intentions mean something.
If you are called to write postcards, there are places to do that. I’ve purchased a whole stack of them #TheMajorityProject and they are on the Justice Matters table. Mail them once a month to all of your elected officials.
If you’re called to protest, our Justice Matters team is working with One Million Rising to put pressure on our elected officials to truly follow the constitution and the rule of law. Read your weekly newsletters and sign up to be part of the Justice Matters team.
Throughout time, humans have had to make their way through challenging circumstances; have had to balance the urge to stay safe with the call to love one another, courageously and wholeheartedly. We are not the first, we stand in very good company. Life is challenging right now, but we can do hard things – as long as we stand together. In times like this, we need one another.
