It’s no surprise that we’re not huge fans of the recently inaugurated administration around these parts for a number of reasons, which I’m happy to talk about over a cup of coffee. As a result I entered this year with a pit in my stomach, a constant low lying anxiety and dread of what is on the horizon especially after watching the actions taken in the first handful of days after inauguration.
I wish that I didn’t feel this way but I do.
As a highly empathetic person the constant state of violence in our country and around the world, the injustice so many face, the hatred and “us vs them” mentality is really hard for me. As a follower of Jesus, to see those in the primarily white evangelical spaces act in ways that seem counter to the ways of Jesus…clamoring for power and checking character at the door is heartbreaking. Perhaps we feel this way because that world is all we knew and trusted for so many years and a lot of what we were taught seems to be have been tossed aside. It’s hard to walk through as an adult and it’s challenging to parent well through it some days.
We watched the documentary King in the Wilderness last night and although sobering was also a reminder to stand for things that truly matter. I can’t disregard the call from the Bible to exercise my faith by joining with God in bringing hope, healing and justice to the world with live in. The invitation is to stand up to injustice, work for equity and equality, fight for the poor and disenfranchised, choose love over fear and hate. Hate only brings more hate. I don’t want to become hateful like so many have become.
So what do we do in the face of the anxiety, the hate, the injustice, the grief of watching a country you love dissolve into fascism and platform leaders who are violent, power hungry and corrupt?
Here are some things that we’re going to spend time doing and focusing on:
- Find a faith community that is following Jesus and welcomes all. A community that serves the poor, fights for injustice, cares for one another, sees the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control) as a sign of a true believer and not weakness.
- Connect with friends consistently who we can be honest and vulnerable.
- Find ways to serve our community. For us that’s through knowing our neighbors, being a part our neighborhood business association, volunteering in our kids school, volunteering with organizations that are serving the houseless in our city and giving to foster care ministries.
- Partner with organizations that are working for good in the world. For me personally I’m a part of Moms Demand Action, fighting to make change in our gun laws. As a mom, knowing that guns are the leading cause of death of our children is absolutely unacceptable and it doesn’t have to be this way. We also support other organizations that are working for racial justice.
- Read and follow others (diverse voices) who are doing good work.
- Take care of ourselves physically because that impacts our mental health as well.
- Get outside
- Create healthy boundaries around what we consume and who allow in our lives to consumer our time and energy. Having deep relationships with those who aren’t safe or choose things that are not in line with your values is probably not going to serve you well.
- Choose things that bring joy. Do activities that we love. Keep laughing in spite of the heaviness.
- Give grace and space on the really hard days.
It’s going to take a lot of work on my part to stay grounded, be present and fill my heart, mind and days with things that bring light and joy. It will be a year of active resistance to hopelessness and a pursuit of defiant joy.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “But, I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough, can you see the stars.”
We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But I want to be one of those in the world bringing light in the darkness. I want to be one who fights for hope in the face of setbacks and heartaches. I want to be the kind of person who continues to love well, who pursues peace and justice, who stands up for those who are suffering and marginalized. I will keep teaching my kids that power can corrupt and character absolutely matters. I know we’ll do it imperfectly, with a lot of cussing (on my part) and keep doing the next right thing as best as I know how.