The grace of coming together
The exhaustion of walking alone
Over the past few weeks I have been involved in several conversations that were dedicated to envisioning the future. Clergy, military members, school administrators, social justice advocates, civic leaders, and business people are all trying to figure out how to move forward.
We are in the midst of an unprecedented moment. Old patterns are clearly not working. Institutions that once supported us are not operating in the way they once did. Facts and assumptions that we could take for granted no longer seem to apply. No one seems to know what the future will look like, but everyone I talk to knows that it is going to be very different than did the past.
As much as I wish I was smart enough to solve any of the problems we face, the truth of the matter is that I am not. None of us are. Battling political dysfunction, climate change, racial injustice, economic meltdown, broken infrastructure, and a global pandemic all at the same time is more than any human being is capable of.
Dealing with any one of these challenges on its own would be hard enough, stacking them on top of each other is totally overwhelming. This is why so many people I talk to are utterly exhausted. The relentless onslaught of bad news and venomous diatribes dressed up as political discourse have left so much of our society fractured and odds with each other. We have seemingly lost the ability to listen to others outside our bubble and come together to address the challenges we face.
Getting a glimpse of how it can work
This is why I am so grateful for the places that I see something else at work. Our congregation, like many churches, is a politically and theologically mixed group of believers. Sunday morning worship is one of the few moments in our society where divisions between generations, political persuasions, and economic brackets are temporarily overcome. Civic organizations like the Lions Club, Rotary, and Kiwanis incentivize working together to make the community a better place. Visiting the Dexter Farmers Market reveals the surprising amount of overlap between socially conservative libertarian preppers and left-leaning hippie back-to-the-landers.
None of these places or organizations are perfect. No body of fallible human beings will ever be able to completely live up to its ideals. On the other hand, over the past few months I have rediscovered how much I need other people. The burdens of the present age are simply too much for any one of us to bear alone.
We need others to come alongside us and support us where we falter. When we are tired, others can help carry the burden for a while. Working together allows us to overcome our own limitations. It helps minimize our blind spots. This is especially true in areas like racial and economic injustice. Others have ideas, resources, and expertise that we do not.
It is my prayer that during this difficult and challenging time we will all have the humility to recognize that we cannot personally do it all. Individuals become angry, tired, anxious, and embittered when facing the world alone. Quite simply, we need each other in real and profound ways. We need to support organizations we believe in. We need to learn from others. We must relearn that democracy requires compromise, conversation, and a commitment to ideals larger than ourselves.
Fortunately, none of this is impossible. Our current situation is indeed a mess, but it is not the end of the story. God had placed positive organizations, activists, and situations in our midst to remind us that there is alternative reality already at work.
Thank you to everyone who continues to inspire me and remind me that great things are happening around me each and every day. Your efforts and your example mean more to me than you will ever know.
