It's stormy out...and every time it seems to be letting up...it gets rough all over again...!
Two and a half months ago, many of our lives were wind-driven into schedules, social dynamics, and living arrangments that we had never before experienced. An unseen, foreign, and dangerous intruder forced us out of our workplaces, our school houses, our stadiums, our restaurants, and our church buildings. But then...
Fear set in; we couldn't' shop the way we wanted to; people began hoarding and the normal way of life started shutting down. We couldn't even order a pizza for a while. Then more rain. Especially in the northeast, the unseasonably cold and rainy weather was a symbol of what was going on in our lives and in our minds. Fears about financial security started setting in as people were furloughed...or lost their jobs altogether. Businesses were boarded up and we all tried to weather the storm as best we could. Our homes/houses no longer provided the "sanctuary" they once did as the stormy outside world moved into our living rooms. We tried to adjust. But then...
This unseen terror then began to rob us of people: people we admired, people with grew up with and people we loved. Every day, deaths were announced: alerts on our phones, banners on the internet...headlines in the news. All over the world and all over our world, the reality of the tenuous nature of human life rained down on us mercilessly. We couldn't even say good-bye in a normal way as nursing homes, funeral homes and hospitals begged us to stay away. Hearses lined up in graveyards to handle waves of grieving families; yet we hunkered down and tried to outlast the wind and rain of death, fear, and grief. And just when it looked like things were letting up; when the temperatures rose, and the numbers of casualties dropped...
Boom. Minnesota.
Now, it seems that all the talk about "getting through this together" is challenged by an incident that reminds us how far apart we are. Everything is tinged with anger, hurt, mistrust, racism and frustration; and the storm of human resentment boiling over in the streets of Minneapolis now threatens the nation. The storm just keeps raging. And we're drenched, cold, and weary.
There is a refuge from the storm, though. Socially, you and I can speak encouragement to someone who's hurting. A call, a text, a card, or, if necessary, a couple of bucks can go along way in helping someone get out of the wind and rain. We can do something nice for a first responder or an essential worker; just to say, "thank you". We can demand justice without destroying our neighborhoods and small businesses. We can talk a friend "down from the ledge", we can listen to or cry with someone who's in pain. We can tell our political leaders what we expect and use our votes if our voices are ignored. We can protest. We can support efforts to unite our communities with law enforcement agencies; we can talk to our young people and help our teachers channel the energies and talents the next generation has to offer. And then...
Spiritually...which is where the heart of this struggle--this "storm"--really beats, we can and should pray. What do we pray for? We ask GOD for healing, for relief, for strength, for forgiveness, for wisdom, for ideas, for strategies, for foresight, for love...and for the humility and courage to do things His way. Because the only way out of this storm is to have the Ruler of winds and waves to speak to this storm. Rains & winds may continue, but we can find shelter...you can find shelter...in GOD's arms.
C'mon...come in out of the rain...aren't you tired?