This past night, we watched a hailstorm fly through our neighborhood with vengeance and fervor. Speechless, I watched the hail accumulate like a heavy snowstorm on my car. As I listened to it pound the skylights in our bathroom, it sounded like a warzone. I felt so helpless as I watched the madness outside.
Could it be that our world feels like a hailstorm? Could it be that our hearts feel shattered for what we are seeing all around us? Could it be that we want to do something to stop the madness, but just don’t know what to do?
The hailstorm craziness was just a small picture of the horror of what we all have seen streaming into our homes on live video. Shock. Horror. Disgust. Anger. Unbelief. Here are a few thoughts to consider:
1. We aren’t allowed not to care. We MUST care! We MUST enter the problem of racism. It cannot be ignored. We tend to ignore the things we’re not comfortable with. It’s time to enter into our uncomfortability. I love the quote by Henri Nouwen regarding real compassion “Compassion challenges us to cry out with those in misery, to mourn with those who are lonely, to weep with those in tears. Compassion requires us to be weak with the weak, vulnerable with the vulnerable and powerless with the powerless. Compassion means full immersion in the condition of being human.” God, help us all be men and women who demonstrate compassion, even if it’s uncomfortable. It’s time to rise up and do something!
2. We must notice. R. D. Laing wrote “The range of what we think and do is limited by what we fail to notice: And because we fail to notice that we fail to notice- there is little we can do to change until we notice how failing to notice shapes our thoughts and deeds.“ So many of us fail to notice so much around us, me included! We stick in our lanes, our worlds, our comforts and fail to take the time or effort to get out of our safe box. How can we help if we fail to notice? We can listen to others’ pain, while not attempting to fix things, but attempting to feel what they feel. Most of us are way to busy to stop and truly empathize what someone else may be feeling. Sometimes, we’re not comfortable with our own pain, so how can we possibly enter into someone else’s? America has noticed. Will each of us notice? And what will we do with what we’ve noticed?
3. How we treat people matters. How quickly my mellow self can turn to irritation, which turns to anger. Everyone of us struggle with anger, irritation, judging others, reacting rather than responding and yes, even prejudiced views. It’s time to do a self-evaluation and ask God for help in how we're treating others. Do we show dignity, respect, kindness and love to all?
Could it be that our world feels like a hailstorm? Could it be that our hearts feel shattered for what we are seeing all around us? Could it be that we want to do something to stop the madness, but just don’t know what to do?
The hailstorm craziness was just a small picture of the horror of what we all have seen streaming into our homes on live video. Shock. Horror. Disgust. Anger. Unbelief. Here are a few thoughts to consider:
1. We aren’t allowed not to care. We MUST care! We MUST enter the problem of racism. It cannot be ignored. We tend to ignore the things we’re not comfortable with. It’s time to enter into our uncomfortability. I love the quote by Henri Nouwen regarding real compassion “Compassion challenges us to cry out with those in misery, to mourn with those who are lonely, to weep with those in tears. Compassion requires us to be weak with the weak, vulnerable with the vulnerable and powerless with the powerless. Compassion means full immersion in the condition of being human.” God, help us all be men and women who demonstrate compassion, even if it’s uncomfortable. It’s time to rise up and do something!
2. We must notice. R. D. Laing wrote “The range of what we think and do is limited by what we fail to notice: And because we fail to notice that we fail to notice- there is little we can do to change until we notice how failing to notice shapes our thoughts and deeds.“ So many of us fail to notice so much around us, me included! We stick in our lanes, our worlds, our comforts and fail to take the time or effort to get out of our safe box. How can we help if we fail to notice? We can listen to others’ pain, while not attempting to fix things, but attempting to feel what they feel. Most of us are way to busy to stop and truly empathize what someone else may be feeling. Sometimes, we’re not comfortable with our own pain, so how can we possibly enter into someone else’s? America has noticed. Will each of us notice? And what will we do with what we’ve noticed?
3. How we treat people matters. How quickly my mellow self can turn to irritation, which turns to anger. Everyone of us struggle with anger, irritation, judging others, reacting rather than responding and yes, even prejudiced views. It’s time to do a self-evaluation and ask God for help in how we're treating others. Do we show dignity, respect, kindness and love to all?
These are days where we need to stop caring about saving face, but start caring about getting right with God and one another. (Ray Ortland) We are so quick to point the finger, quietly judge and withhold love from others, especially on social media and it needs to stop. Seeing the horrors that we saw must humble us to seek God for our nation, our communities and ourselves. God, break our hearts for what breaks Yours.
Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain of the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.
Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain of the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.
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