This morning I woke with a heavy heart and mixed feelings.
Mixed feelings about Afghanistan.
Mixed feelings about all things COVID.
Mixed feelings about the world we live in today.
People will tell us how to feel and act however; that’s not their job.
It’s our job to get quiet, pray and seek wisdom.
It’s so easy to get mixed up in politics on social media. Yet, being divisive NEVER got anyone anywhere good.
Sometimes our viewpoints are clouded by our circumstances, family of origin or even our religious beliefs.
Why can’t you be fully vaccinated yet, believe in people’s freedom of choice?
What about the grey areas of all these things?
Why can’t you choose to wear a mask yet, be okay with people choosing not to wear a mask?
What does one thing have to do with the other?
I think being in the military taught me tolerance and acceptance in differences of opinions.
What is right for one person may not be right for another. Why are we so hell bent on forcing our opinions onto our neighbors?
How do we love our neighbor well in the midst of such trying times?
How do we help not hinder the world we live in today?
These are the questions swirling in my head.
The pain of the lives lost fighting in Afghanistan weighs heavy on many veterans and military family members today. The questioning of whether or not their lives were lost in vein is being clouded by the political blame game.
The fear women of Afghanistan are facing today is real. The loss of hopes, dreams and freedom to pursue a different life than the generations of women before is on the brink of destruction.
The pain of loss from COVID is still circling our country and will for some time to come.
The fear people are feeling surrounding getting sick is real. The fight for freedom of choice in a free country threatens to destroy us.
And still I wonder what can we do to bring hope, kindness and encouragement to the world.
“Whether I see results or not I still have something to offer the world.” —Emily P. Freeman
These words jumped off the page at me this morning and began swirling in my head. So often I run from these discussions out of fear of getting it wrong or fear of stepping on the toes of someone I love and yet, I feel like what I need to do is share hope, encouragement and not be silent.
Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ These two commands are pegs; everything in God’s Law and the Prophets hangs from them.” —Matthew 27:37-40 The Message
Let’s find ways to love our neighbors today and NOT allow our difference to cause more division and dissidence in our communities.
2 responses to “Seek to Understand”
Very well-stated!
Prayers for peace as these questions and concerns dominate our minds.
Prayers for understanding and compassion as we comfort one another.
Beautiful said 💞