One of my goals here at A Welcome Grace is to provide a place where people feel validated and less alone. Yesterday, I had a long, heart-to-heart talk with a friend where we discussed many of the things I write about in this post. And we found that simply by sharing openly with each other, we felt less alone in our hurt, our confusion, and our anger. My hope is that, by sharing these thoughts today, you too may feel seen and understood.
Sowing Love
I don’t know what to do. Or what to say.
I’m attracted to the news and to social media like a moth to a flame, but find it all appalling.
There is a level of hurt and suffering happening in the world right now the likes of which I have never seen. In fact, it’s the likes of which no one I know has ever seen.
My heart wants to cry out into the world “ENOUGH! IT’S ALL ENOUGH!”
I want to shout and cry and ask everyone why is this happening?
But there would be so many different answers.
And it’s so hard to know anymore who is right and who is wrong. People flock to take sides and pass judgement when no one I know has the whole story about any of it. Conspiracy theory follows criticism follows condemnation.
Ultimately, though? I have to remind myself… God is right and His Word is true. Everything else is like shifting sand.
People are despairing. We have, as a society, lost confidence in our abilities to remain safe, financially secure, and healthy.
We have lost confidence in ourselves. And in each other.
I want to reject that this world of anger and confusion is the one I’m supposed to release my newly grown children into. How can they possibly know how to be adults in a world like this when I struggle with it, myself? I’m their mother and I don’t know how to explain what is happening all around them.
And, as a mother, I see people hurting and I just want to fix it.
I want to say something, do something, to make all of the pain go away.
But then I feel that what I have to say? It doesn’t really matter. It would be like so much extra noise in the echo chamber.
What little I can do? Probably won’t make a difference.
I am not someone with a huge platform or endless funds or even the necessary amount of bravery to do a great enough thing to change the world today.
I am just one person. But, like Mother Teresa said, I can do my small things with great love.
And hopefully, my small things will join with your small things will join with others’ small things. And together, we will sow our small acts of love in to a world that is currently overrun with hatred.
Do your small thing, my friend, and I’ll do mine. Share a smile and a kind word whenever you have the chance. Pray even if it makes you uncomfortable, maybe especially if it makes you uncomfortable. Love your families. Love your neighbors. Forgive. Show mercy.
Grace in the small things is such a big, huge, gargantuan thing.
Dear Lord, let it be so.
Sweet Jesus, let it be so.
Holy Spirit, let it be so.
