Current Events
I confess to a temptation. This temptation is to become somewhat of a hermit, at least in regard to paying attention to current events. The constant drip of politics, celebrity goings-on, crises and people-doing-bad-things - I just get so weary of it. And the times when I’ve taken a break and disregarded the news did not seem to make a big difference in the world continuing to spin. So I am tempted to just check out permanently.
However, I am a pastor, and also feel a responsibility to stay alert to the issues and events that impact my congregation and community. I continue to work on the balance of not getting caught up in non-essential news, but also not being clueless. If you have tips for me, please leave them in the comments!
“Some current events literally create a current within me...”
Some current events literally create a current within me - a river of emotion, a shock of pain and memory. Last year about this time our nation was embroiled in the confirmation hearings of Justice Brett Kavanaugh. He had been accused of sexual misconduct. I couldn’t help myself - I listened to the hearings and the testimony of both the accuser and the accused. I felt empathy for both, strangely, and deep concern for our fractured culture. But on a more personal level, I became severely traumatized. I was simultaneously dealing with personal loss, grief, resurfacing of my own memories of sexual abuse and unresolved pain. It was hard. Therapy helped.
This week I have been paying attention to a different abuse story - one taking place in a highly influential faith-based organization. It also resonated deeply for me because I once served in ministry under a leader who exhibited attributes of full-on narcissism. It was hard. It took a long time to recover and heal of some of the wounds we suffered in those years. And I feel so much empathy for the current voices speaking up and speaking out.
Dear fellow survivor, here’s a true newsflash: life is hard. People are broken, and sometimes they hurt us. Sometimes the wounds are deep and lasting, and we need help to overcome. My purpose in writing any of this is to offer hope. I do not belittle your pain; I do not suggest you just get over it or move on. But neither do I belittle God’s healing and redemption - I have experienced the reality of hope and deeply desire to share it with you.
Scripture meditation and affirmation:
Romans 15:13 I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Prayer:
Father, please help me not forget your hope. Help me not isolate and insulate against people that can make a difference for me, that can hold me up, encourage me, counsel me, bring me to healing. I want my current reality to be filled and overflow with your confident hope. Lord, have mercy on our broken world. Cause me to send a current of hope into the spaces I touch.