There have been many times in my life when I became completely consumed with what I should be doing, with what will come next, with what the future will hold and how I ought to be working towards it. And as it turns out, that only left me feeling anxious, struggling to find peace in the present, and feeling like a failure that I had no vision or couldn't seem to be disciplined and dedicated enough to work towards something. But then someone told me:
You may not know what you'll be doing in the future, but you know what to do now.
There are so many things that I know I can do now. I don't have to wait for a grand vision or a twenty year plan to know to be kind to my neighbors. I don't have to write a manifesto to know to share my joy and my sorrows with loved ones, to know that I must do acts of mercy, serve the poor, pray for my enemies.
It seems that we've come to a point in our whole world, really, when so many of us don't know what to do, don't know what the future will hold, don't even know how to address the disappointments and injustices in our homes and in our human family. But in so many small and grand ways, we do know what to do.
If there's anything the world needs right now, it's one more opinion ;) So here's mine. By way of reminding myself that I can't change the world and I don't know how to do big things but I must still be faithful in little things, I hope that this will bring thoughts to mind of what I should be doing everyday and what we especially need as a community, as a nation, as a world right now.
So, let us pray for our enemies more than we fear them because perfect love casts out fear.
Let us look for neighbors who are the most unlike us, the least lovable, and learn to love them.
Let us continue to seek justice (the proper response to both good and evil) especially for those we struggle to care about.
Let us sympathize with pain we will never feel.
Let us listen, really listen, when we may continue to disagree.
Let us will the good of all our neighbors (that's everyone) to seek the flourishing of every person.
Let is see those who are alone and lonely and give them parts of ourselves that we would rather hoard and ration.
Let us remember that everything we have isn't really ours at all and hold everything with loose and loving hands.
Let us open our doors, our minds, and our pantries, so that no one suffers want and no one suffers pride.
Let us be conservative toward ourselves and liberal toward others.
"Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love." -St. Theresa of Calcutta
We can go to school board meetings even just to listen and have one conversation about it afterwards.
We can encourage our city aldermen, our mayors, our sheriffs, even when we must also critique them.
We can call up a lost-touch friend, vulnerably, bravely facing the awkward to genuinely see how they're doing.
We can laugh at ourselves.
We can ask people about themselves not to correct them but to seek to understand and, by understanding, love them.
We can reorder our priorities in order to give just a little more money away.
We can invite friends to volunteer with us, admitting our fear and discomfort, and asking for help.
We can choose to stop categorizing and dehumanizing people, and seek to see the face of Christ in each one.
We can move forward with feet firmly planted, because rootedness and progress can mystically concur.
We can pray each day, "I believe. Help my unbelief."
I have succeeded at none of these things, but it's not too late. Hearts can change and so can hands, and I pray that mine would do so quickly. For little love is better than fear.
You may not know what you'll be doing in the future, but you know what to do now.
There are so many things that I know I can do now. I don't have to wait for a grand vision or a twenty year plan to know to be kind to my neighbors. I don't have to write a manifesto to know to share my joy and my sorrows with loved ones, to know that I must do acts of mercy, serve the poor, pray for my enemies.
It seems that we've come to a point in our whole world, really, when so many of us don't know what to do, don't know what the future will hold, don't even know how to address the disappointments and injustices in our homes and in our human family. But in so many small and grand ways, we do know what to do.
If there's anything the world needs right now, it's one more opinion ;) So here's mine. By way of reminding myself that I can't change the world and I don't know how to do big things but I must still be faithful in little things, I hope that this will bring thoughts to mind of what I should be doing everyday and what we especially need as a community, as a nation, as a world right now.
So, let us pray for our enemies more than we fear them because perfect love casts out fear.
Let us look for neighbors who are the most unlike us, the least lovable, and learn to love them.
Let us continue to seek justice (the proper response to both good and evil) especially for those we struggle to care about.
Let us sympathize with pain we will never feel.
Let us listen, really listen, when we may continue to disagree.
Let us will the good of all our neighbors (that's everyone) to seek the flourishing of every person.
Let is see those who are alone and lonely and give them parts of ourselves that we would rather hoard and ration.
Let us remember that everything we have isn't really ours at all and hold everything with loose and loving hands.
Let us open our doors, our minds, and our pantries, so that no one suffers want and no one suffers pride.
Let us be conservative toward ourselves and liberal toward others.
"Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love." -St. Theresa of Calcutta
We can go to school board meetings even just to listen and have one conversation about it afterwards.
We can encourage our city aldermen, our mayors, our sheriffs, even when we must also critique them.
We can call up a lost-touch friend, vulnerably, bravely facing the awkward to genuinely see how they're doing.
We can laugh at ourselves.
We can ask people about themselves not to correct them but to seek to understand and, by understanding, love them.
We can reorder our priorities in order to give just a little more money away.
We can invite friends to volunteer with us, admitting our fear and discomfort, and asking for help.
We can choose to stop categorizing and dehumanizing people, and seek to see the face of Christ in each one.
We can move forward with feet firmly planted, because rootedness and progress can mystically concur.
We can pray each day, "I believe. Help my unbelief."
I have succeeded at none of these things, but it's not too late. Hearts can change and so can hands, and I pray that mine would do so quickly. For little love is better than fear.