This is reposted with permission from Spacious.org
The day after the U.S. presidential election, I shared this by email with our subscribers. I wanted to share it with more of you because so many share our desire to DO something positive for this beautiful land and its people:
Well, it happened. And it’s over.
And because the point of SPACIOUS is to connect beyond the usual boundaries, to step out of the usual silos, we SPACIOUS people see this election, this “morning after,” from various vantage points. Some of us are thrilled with the outcome, and many are devastated. And even afraid.
Like many of you, I didn’t feel like there was a candidate for whom I had enthusiasm. Yet I still felt my hand shake with the wonder of the democratic process as I filled in the bubble on the ballot among neighbors.
As a Christian who puts my ultimate hope far beyond the vagaries of any man-made system or structure, I am not in despair. I can say, “God is still in control.” And I believe He is.
What will be, will be, right? That can be a form religious resignation, a passive dependence on an abstraction of God.
But actually, because God invites us to co-create, to act in His power, to pass on the grace He gives us, to a degree it’s more accurate that what we’ll be, will be.
And that raises questions like these:
What can I learn about the hurts and grievances of a huge portion of our country that I may not have known before?
Why didn’t I know?
What am I uniquely gifted to do that would be part of the redemption of the mess that is America?
What resources and social capital do I have that I could throw at the dilemma of one other person?
Where should my energy go these next four years?
If those seem too lofty, let’s start here:
Whose face have I seen, and can I learn their name?
Whose name do I know, and will I ask their story?
Who’s never been at my dinner table, and when will I invite them?
We are the ones to listen, love neighbors, effect change, dive in.
Yes, what we’ll be, will be. Ideally together.
Cary Umhau will be sharing with us on Friday, Feb. 3rd from 1-2pm at Common Grounds, 480 Rugby Rd.