The Calm Before the Storm

Hello everyone –

It has been quite some time since I last wrote anything in this blog. I hope you are all doing well.

My goal is to once again get into the routine of writing regular weekly posts.  A number of things have prevented me from doing this the last few months. First, I was focused on writing and publishing my book. Second, I’m…um… basically a lazy person. And third and most important, I wanted to wait until the election was over.

The first two reasons are self-explanatory. The third not so much. So let me explain.

I have very strong feelings about the presidential election. To be more specific, I have very strong negative feelings toward one of the candidates. In fact, the thought of this person winning the election has caused me a great deal of anxiety, not to mention anger. I was ready to do battle through this blog and any other platform I could utilize. But the last thing this country needs is more negativity and I decided not to add to the ill feeling that already exists. So I have chosen to remain silent until after the election.

This week could be considered the calm before the storm. Jody and I have learned a little bit about storms, having spent late summer and fall in Florida and weathering two hurricanes. The build-up before a hurricane makes landfall is an eerie, quiet time. Then it hits and all hell breaks loose. We were under an evacuation order, but chose to remain where we were. We did everything we could to prepare and then hunkered down. Thankfully, we escaped the devastation that impacted the northern part of the state, where there was tremendous property damage and loss of life.

Each of us has a number of choices to make in terms of the coming election. If our candidate loses we can choose to remain engaged in our communities, or we can “evacuate” and look to our own interests. The choices are particularly acute for people of faith. How do we best live out that faith in this heated political climate? Do we choose to hurt, to divide, to hate? Or doo we choose to heal, to unite, to love? Which of these do you suppose Jesus would choose? Which of these would Jesus want you to choose?

In a 2017 sermon on Jesus’ call to love our enemies, Richard Rohr said:

“Is there anything happening in America today that would make you think we believe we should “love our enemies”? If Christians do not decide to finally be like Jesus, then let’s just give up on this whole Christian thing. It doesn’t mean anything! If it’s just going to church on Sunday, then we have to stop pretending we’re following Jesus, because we’re just like everybody else—we are into power and money and deceit and war. If we do not preach the gospel, if we do not begin to live the gospel now, then let’s stop pretending that we care about Jesus or about following Jesus. 

“We are in a very scary position in the United States… We cannot be silent any longer. Do not expect me to be silent, and I won’t expect you to be silent, either. It’s going to take courage. It’s going take each of us making little decisions in our little worlds to love, not just our neighbors, but even to pray for our enemies, to pray for our president, to pray for our country. If we can’t do these little things, what does it all mean? “ 

Speaking of praying for our enemies, next week I will share some words from another “mildly autistic mystic” named Caryll Houselander. Caryll was a British artist, spiritual writer and visionary who lived in the first half of the last century. Some of the things she wrote during World War II are uncannily appropriate for our country today, regardless of who wins the election.

To speak the truth in love not hate is the challenge we face. It means giving up our feelings of self-righteousness and superiority. It may be difficult, but that is the path we are called to walk. Until next time…deep breaths…deep breaths…