So We Do Not Lose Hope…

At the time of this writing, it is likely the outcome of the election will be unclear. It is also possible this lack of clarity may continue for some time. What is clear is that there will be discontent. For some the very life of our democracy depends on the occupant not getting another four years. For others, the very life of our democracy depends on the opposite.  

If you did your civic duty and voted, there is little that can be done to further impact the outcome. If you did not vote, shut up. It’s as simple as that. If you don’t participate in the process, you don’t get to gripe about the outcome whenever it becomes known. 

What we can do and what we must do is not lose heart. Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth says, “So we do not lose heart…because we look not at what can be seen, for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal (2 Cor. 4:16,17). We stay the course of what we know to be right. We continue to advocate for the poor and dispossessed. We continue to participate in civic life in ways that reflect our values. We continue to speak truth to power. We continue to bear witness to the light, love of justice and mercy in the midst of darkness that will not abate no matter who wins the election. The divisions at work in our country will not be magically healed after the election. This is what makes our work so very important.

The truth is that our world is a deeply broken place. Greed and power conspire to hold some up while pounding others down. Every “ism” that defines us is one more layer that separates what ultimately should not be separated. History repeats itself. In the time Jesus lived, the Romans exploited and extorted money from the poor. Exorbitant taxes that no one could pay caused people to lose their land. Antiquated religious laws embodied in corrupt religious leaders colluded with corrupt political leaders to place social and religious burdens on the poorest of the poor. It was to these people that Jesus spoke the Good News. It is to these same people in our time that we are to speak that same Good News.

Our loudest petitions and prayers are spoken in action and deed. St. Francis said, “Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.” Every act of love, every bit of kindness and every deed of justice no matter how small engages the inherent goodness of the universe. The Holy is everywhere and we both embody it and bear witness to it when we live from our deepest center where the Holy lives in us. By whatever name the Holy is known: God, Buddha, Yahweh, HaShem, Allah, Ik Onkar, Vishnu or one of the other hundreds of names for God in the great religions of the world, at the very heart of it all is love.

Each day let us live life to the fullest, making choices that bear witness to the Holy. Every day let us live for the best of life and the integrity of creation. Every day let us dream for others the same dreams we dream for ourselves. We need one another because we cannot do these things in a vacuum. We need encouragement to show up for love in a world that is not always loving. We need affirmation that we are on the right track when it feels like we are all alone in doing what is good and right and just. We need voices around us that speak the same language, so we can hang on to hope when hope seems hard to find. 

The race for a world where there is enough for all and love is the law will not be to the swiftest or the loudest. It will be to those who persevere and do not lose heart. The world needs you to be loving, gracious, passionate witnesses to the best of what it means to be human, for therein lies the hope of the world. You are not alone.