2016 has been rough. The past little while has been especially hard. Death and violence in our communities, across the country, and devastating terror attacks around the globe. On top of all that, a much closer pain came with a cousin unexpectedly passing away, a grief and loss that gets wrapped up in all this other pain and suffering.
I know it’s different. I know the causes and responses are and should be different. I feel selfish constantly feeling grief and sorrow for the loss of my cousin when all these tragedies are occurring around me, when all of them remind me of the loss I feel. I know I shouldn’t, but I do. I want to do something to help to change the world to rid us of the causes of this pain and suffering. And I know it’s not that simple. I turn to God. I listen and sit with my grieving family—simply being there because I know nothing else I can do. I write a tribute/eulogy/words for my cousin to ease the pain and leave some of my heartache on the page and not bottled up inside. I pray. All of that is prayer. Prayer is work.
I can “send thoughts and prayers” and that helps some. I feel better knowing that others are praying for me and my family, but I know that those praying for and thinking of me would do whatever I asked—theirs is a prayer of work. Prayer is action. If we “pray” but do nothing beyond moving our lips then our prayers might be empty. If you stand at the pulpit on Sunday and pray that those who are absent will be with us next week, but you do not reach out to a single one of them between then and the next Sunday? Seems like a faithless prayer to me.
And I’m guilty. I say things in prayers that I know others want to hear and are what ‘should’ be said. I pray for comfort and peace to go to those mourning and grieving and then forget about them. I don’t want that to be true, but often it is. I can and must do better.
We can all do better. Do I know what the best actions to be taken in response to any of the tragedies that have struck in the past few weeks? No. But, I know that I should do something. That I should listen to and be with (as much as possible) those directly touched by the events. Hear them. Honor the memories of those that we have lost, those that have been taken, those that gave their lives.
Then do something. Talk to your local police. Meet with elected officials. Work with refugees around you. Read all you can and be informed. Truly, faithfully pray.
In doing, in striving, in trying, in giving—I find peace.