February 6, 2025

Life in challenging times

These last three weeks have been difficult as a series of executive orders has shaken our country and threatened people whom we love. When events we cannot control affect us deeply and consistently, it is tempting to react either by retreating altogether or by giving ourselves the illusion of control by obsessively doom scrolling and reading every news story and opinion that comes to our screens. Neither truly helps us cope when times are difficult. Here are a few things that can help

• Pray. Pray each morning before you read the news. Pray for each person mentioned in every news story by name as you read. Pray for every group the story touches. Pray for the journalist or columnist who wrote it.
• Go outside, even in bad weather. Be among people and remind yourself that you are not alone. Be under the trees and remember that there is more to the world God gave us than money and power. Remember those who cannot go inside.
• Read scripture. Read the books of history (Samuel, Judges, Kings, and Chronicles) and remember that things have been much worse. Read the prophets and remember who God call us to be and that God is faithful and will not forget us. Read the Psalms and know that others have felt the same fear. Read the Sermon on the Mount and remember what and whom Jesus taught us to value. Read the passion and resurrection narratives and remember that Christ suffers with us and we will be raised with him.
• Check on one another. Reach out and ask people how they are doing, knowing that the answer may be something other than “Fine.”. Listen to their answer and be with them in their struggle. Make it a point especially to reach out to friends who are feeling threatened because of who they are.
• Write to those in power. Write to encourage, not to criticize. Offer thanks and encouragement to those who are standing up for immigrants, women, and people of color. They need your support. Exhort those who are lashing out to have mercy.

While, to the best of my knowledge, no one in our Resurrection community is among those groups explicitly targeted by I.C.E., we do have people of color and people of the LGBTQ+ community who may be profiled or threatened. Please hold them especially close in prayer and be ready to stand by them at need. Lauri and I are gathering resources with information about our constitutional rights as individuals and as a church to help us all to be ready in every way possible. If you would like to be part of these efforts, please let us know.
None of us is ever alone, and there is always something we can do.