So…it’s been a bit of a week. There was yet another school shooting in our area, which has torn open wounds for people who have experienced these tragedies before and scared anew children in schools including my own. On the national front, it seems that calling on people to protect the frightened and vulnerable is seen by many as a radical leftist agenda rather than, as I have understood it, basic human decency.
Of course, there have been other things good, bad, and in between. Everything is not lost but, Good Lord, the dark clouds loom ominously and I feel tired. You might feel tired too.
I would like to give you some sort of rousing speech about things being darkest before the dawn, but we don’t really know how long the arcs of history bend. I’m reminded of my favorite Frederick Buechner quote, “Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don’t be afraid.” I actually quoted that to one of my sons this week talking about the shooting in Antioch. But, you know, it’s okay if you feel a little scared. You are a person after all (I said this to my son also).
So we’ll go from Buechner to the mid 2000s arena rock banger “All These Things That I’ve Done.” Not the lyric “I’ve got soul but I’m not a soldier” though there is something in there too. But simply this: “If you can, hold on.” Throughout scripture, people are encouraged to not grow weary in doing what is right (Galatians 6:9-10 pops into my mind immediately) even though said weariness is warranted.
If you can—even in the midst of a world where outrage and us versus them mentalities seem to drown everything out—hold on. Don’t give up on doing what is right. Don’t stop loving the people around you. Don’t forget that every person you encounter is your neighbor. If you can, hold on.
And if it feels like you can’t hold on, please reach out to the people around you. The supervisor in my CPE Program always gets rankled when people talk about self-care because he believes that what we should really be about is mutual care. So don’t feel like you have to do this by yourself. If you need a church-wary individual who is trying his best to follow Jesus, is trying to do well by all of his neighbors, supports LGBTQ+ individuals, and yet is still quite flawed, I’m your guy. There are folks out there who are happy to sit with you. So find your people. Just hold on.
So keep hoping. Keep loving. Keep persevering. And for those of us who are bold enough to claim the name “Christian,” may we be known for our goodness, kindness, compassion, and generosity.