Editorial

This is a time to find possibilities even when the worst has happened

What a time this has been nationally and internationally!  The main news stories have been painful to take in. How is this playing out in our congregations?  How is it playing out for us personally?

When I recently shared my fears and frustrations with a friend in her 80s, she remarked that she is surprised at how calm she feels, despite the chaos.  She said she has lived through the Depression, WWII, Vietnam, Civil Rights, 9/11, and so much more, along with plenty of personal or family losses and changes and challenges. 

In those instances, life has gone on.  We have come out on the other side, still able to carry on and strive to create a good, positive life for ourselves and those around us.

Although I’m younger, my experience is the same. I find the sun has always come up on a new day filled with possibility, even when the worst has happened.

In reflecting on our conversation, as well as recent conversations at my church, the word “trust” has come to the forefront: trust in the basic goodness at the center of all existence, and trust in the Presence of the Source of all our Being. 

To be sure, that trust ebbs and flows, and the recent incidents have strongly challenged it, but it still holds fast.

This is a time for us to hold tight to our covenant relationship, that we may find strength in our unity of belief that God is Love, and in our purpose to build a world where peace and justice rule. 

Copyright © September 2017 - The Fig Tree