Lights in the Darkness
Over the past couple of weeks, my phone has let me know that my screen time has been on the rise.
Anyone else noticed this?
I’m not surprised. With all that is happening in the world, I’ve been trying to keep up with the ongoing media updates.
But, I can’t only focus on the hard and the heavy. It is too much. I also have to find things that make me laugh.
So, in addition to media updates, I’ve found myself watching an increased number of videos of cats doing crazy things and sharing them with my sister, as well as sending extra memes to my family.
Laughter really is excellent medicine.
Routinely, I spend time in prayer and grieve the atrocities happening around the world. And routinely, I wonder what in the world is mine to do. What am I meant to say? How can I help?
Do you wonder about these things too?
Sometimes, those questions feel too big or like there are no answers. I am not a politician or a diplomat. What can I do, really? But then I am reminded to keep showing up in the spaces where God has planted me and do the ordinary things that add up to a well-lived life.
Reaching out to friends to make sure they are ok.
Laundry.
Dishes.
Meals with friends & family.
Driving my people where they need to go.
Showing up for meetings.
Taking care of my body and mind.
Being in community.
There is so much pain in the world. Much of that pain is rooted in centuries, millennia really, of narratives that devalue the “other”.
In our corner of the world, wherever your corner is, we are invited to love each other well. To show up for one another, to appreciate each other’s differences, and to see that each life, every life, was created by God and bears God’s image.
I long for Jesus to return. I long for all things to be made new. I long for there to be no more sorrow and no more pain.
But until that time comes, for however long I am living, I want to keep finding ways to shine light into the spaces around me.
I hope that you will too.
~ Melissa