There are many things in the recent news which can pull our spirits down. We look around for some good news. Instead, we find stories of victims and assailants. Accidents and tragedies. We are waiting on someone to tell us something exciting that is happening...where justice prevails in the face of oppression, where mercy reaches out to help a stranger, where love is stronger than hate.
Sometimes we are tricked into thinking of what a crazy world it is "out there" while we are observing it all happen from our phone, laptop, or tv. It's as if we are watching a game and waiting on the referee or umpire to step out and call some fouls and enforce a few penalties.
The reality is we are all a part of this "crazy" world. It's not "out there" or happening around us. It's in our world whether it looks that way or not. It doesn't matter if it happens under our own roof or miles or continents away.
In our most honest of moments, we are keenly aware there's a little part of this "craziness" or "bad" in all of us. When these little parts are left unrecognized, unconfessed, unchallenged, and we are unaccountable- that's when the little parts become big... and we can become the author or main character in the kind of news which crushes hearts and destroys dreams.
However, we can do something. We can recognize. We can confess. We can be held accountable. We can humble ourselves and see our part of the "craziness" we are observing... the things we have done or not done to create such a culture of mistrust, judgement and hate.
We can be kind instead of inpatient. We can slow down and let some one in front of us instead of shoving our way to the front. In the car or the grocery line. We can be gentle and speak the truth in love rather than be cruel with our words and tone. We can remember we may be right but that doesn't mean we are being kind. We can forgive instead of holding someone a slave to our hurt. We can relinquish our power over someone to empower another person to experience life to the fullest. We can choose compassion instead of looking away. We can listen, truly listen instead of rushing to speak or judge. There are so many things we can do, instead of being overwhelmed by the announcement of more wrongdoing and injustices or thinking we are on the sidelines of a game made up of winners and losers.
Orlando on my mind...and in my heart.
What are you doing to change the news?