Piloting Faith - A Daily Meditation
A Word for the Day...
I've had conversations this week filled with suffering and pain. We are upset about what we see in the news. We are disoriented by a world that feels a bit too callous, too out of alignment with values we believe Jesus taught us. We are uncomfortable with the hard conversations we need to have as neighbors and friends; we are terrified of the real conversations we need to have as communities, cities and a nation. We don't know what difference we are making in our protesting, calling and even in our voting.
Our suffering is, in part, because our expectations of what a kind and generous world looks like are not being met by what we see in our reality. The level of our suffering is tied to the incongruence between our expectations and reality. Today, many of our national leaders are not kind. Today, the prevailing narrative of success is not generous. We are living in a world radically out of alignment with values we believe the scriptures teach and Jesus lived.
What to do? The hard work:
We face reality bravely, and reset our expectations. Let's get real, so we can stop being traumatized. Our current world is what it is.
Then take a look at the "unquestioned answers" that create our reality. Why does racism exist? Because of the unquestioned answer that my white skin is more valuable than dark skin in our culture. It is "What is so." It's reality.
Then we remind ourselves of what we are committed to in the midst of this reality. Our commitments keep us honest when they are embodied through our actions. We are committed to ending racism. We are committed to justice. We are committed to compassion.
We use our expectations to design a path consistent with what we are committed to. Leadership is most powerful when we face the "what is so" with relentless courage and then act to create new fields of possibility. That act of creation is unique to each of us. We must bring the commitments we have to influence the places it matters. In the words of sociologist Margaret Wheatley, we can create "Islands of Sanity" where hope, peace and love can abide.
This work isn't easy, but it doesn't have to cost us everything. Let us grow in wisdom as we grow in love.
Be brave, friends. We’ve much to offer the world.
- Rev. Cameron Trimble, CEO of the Center for Progressive Renewal
Your leadership matters. You and your church are making a difference in shaping our world into a more just and generous place. Keep it up!
We are all in this together.
