Along with several others, I recently participated in a video where reporter Kevin Wallevand asked where we found hope. He stitched together the separate videos and edited them for a presentation for the annual “Rejuvenation” last Sunday. Little did I know how I would need that meeting, even my own words, this week.
One of the things I said was that before finding hope, I had to find peace. This Lenten season, I think of Jesus needing his prayer time before his challenging work of teaching, healing and responding to his religious detractors – who, as he knew, would kill him – with the help of the government.
In the video, I mentioned that I find peace in a morning devotional that involves worship and praise, e.g. Darlene Zschech’s “Daylight.” I read the Bible, preferably aloud. Currently, it’s Psalms, along with the Gospel of John.
I attend Taize, a meeting primarily of Catholics and Protestants. This monthly meeting includes prayer, song, with a period of silence. Fellowship follows. Leaders acknowledge God, but also injustice. It’s not just happy talk.
We live in troubled times. When Kevin asked what disturbed me the most about what is going on, I said something like, “I see a shift in morality. I am troubled that a five–year-old can be taken from family to a facility to sleep on concrete and eat sandwiches filled with worms and maggots.” Too many people show indifference, or mock. One line I read in comments is, “Well, we need the whole story,” as if some missing information would justify treating a small child, worse than a dog.
I see this indifference and even mockery of so-called Christians towards the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Even the bombing of a girls’ school in Iran or the current embargo against Cuba, leaving people without fuel, in the dark and starving. Is this “the shining city on a hill” or what Jesus would do?
Poet T.S. Eliot wrote, “Humankind cannot bear very much reality.” So I meet with friends, find hope in the Bible or in words and even films. I rejoice in words, mostly from the Bible or leaders like Gandhi who said, “When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it…always.” I find hope in books like “Giving Up is Unforgiveable” by Joyce Vance, or even in some movies, like “Nuremberg,” putting Nazis on trial.
All I have learned, so far, I needed this week. I was fired from The Forum on Wednesday. March 28 is my last column. There were no harsh words – after all this is often polite Fargo – Moorhead. I was told, “We’re going in a new direction.” I’ve heard people use this verbiage before for others.
The next morning, I got up to sing and pray. These tools still work. I’m not sure of next steps – perhaps another venue locally, or even a Substack column. Even though I seek peace and hope, that doesn’t make me passive. After all, putting on “the whole armor of God” includes peace but is not limited to that, even though Jesus nor his disciples resorted to violence. In finding peace and hope I am more grounded, more prepared to battle suffering and injustice around me.
In hope, I cannot forget: In healing I am healed.
Interested in a broad range of issues, including social and faith issues, Joan Brickner serves as a regular contributor to the Forum’s opinion page. She is a retired English instructor, having taught in Michigan and Minnesota.
