Care for the suffering

 

A person is a person
From LA to Sudan
From Mexico to Gaza
From Congo to Canada
From Lebanon to Texas
A heart is a heart
A hug is a hug
Unimaginable suffering can be anybody’s story
We acknowledge it comes in varying degrees
But our humanity is interconnected
No space for dehumanizing others

All over the world
Fire burns the same
It destroys
It takes away
It alters the future
Hearts ache for lost loved ones

Thousands displaced across our globe
Families and young children
Nowhere to go!
Catastrophic!
Destruction!
 Common cries of “It's all gone!”
”I have nothing left” or
”I am the only one left alive!”

Acts of heroism by many people
Putting themselves in harm’s way
Normal everyday people
Helping complete strangers
Many courageous people on the front-lines
Doctor’s, nurses
Humanitarian workers
Firefighters and the incarcerated

Trauma. Trauma
Experienced differently by every living soul
But the same emotions
Anger and fear
Violent responses
Grief and loss
Lonely
Bewildered
Overwhelmed
Why was it you and not me?
Suicidal and depressed

But lies, ignorance, arrogance and hypocrisy
Are also in the mix
Some stories are elevated above others
Misinformation and fear mongering
These things we don’t want
These things we don’t need

In some spaces there is huge injustice
Making the impact experienced very different
Every person should be afforded safety
To evacuate safely to safer places
To be given life giving aid

What is needed is our care for people
Our love and compassion
Empathy for broken hearts
Our hearts breaking for the pain and suffering
We want integrity and equity
Upholding the same human rights for all

Actions of love and care for the planet
Planting indigenous trees
Trees that tend to the soil and land
Provide safety and wholeness
Taking seriously how our actions can harm
People and planet
It is always about all of us
All of us
All of the time
Always

2025

 

There’s not much you can do
The world moves on
Suddenly you find yourself in a new year
Even if you didn’t want it
Time marches on
And here we are
There’s something about the start of a new year
The expectation is for new
For change, for different
And yet from one hour into that next hour,
There’s no magical, sudden change
It's up to us to bring about that newness,
that change, that difference

But some things need to stay the same
The same joy of being loved
The same kindness of loving others
The same fight for justice
The same need for peace on earth
The same ache for thriving for all

Some countries and people have woken up today
to the same misery and pain
Some people are sweeping water from their tents
Some are sitting in grief and dejection
A hopelessness seeping into their frozen bones

Then there are others who still don’t seem to care
Some are still telling the same lies and mistruths
There’s still silence about some dire situations

Can we possibly work towards being alive in 2025?
Like, letting people live
Instead of actively causing or allowing death?

All I can think of today are these words,
“I came that you may have life,
and life in abundance.”
God incarnate
Alive right here with us
Jesus came to offer life
Let’s be people who celebrate that,
and speak it into being

Some things need to continue
Some things need to stay the same
Some things need to change

God is the same yesterday, today and forever
We don’t need him to change
We need to allow him to change us
His newness is everyday throughout the year
His compassions never fail
They are new every morning
A faithful God is he
He crowns this new year with goodness
He makes our paths drip with abundance
His goodness flows through us to others
Let’s actively be a part of that

So, let’s raise the stakes
Up the fervour, consistency and passion
for more
It begins with us
It starts with how we live
and how we love others
It’s up to us
We are the ones to grab hold of more
More kingdom living
More of heaven being pulled to earth

More generous with our love
More generous with our justice
More generous with speaking life
More generous with our peace making
More generous with building towards a better world

Increase discussions about doing better
Believe in change
Envision the mutual flourishing
Doing it together
In community
For greater reach and impact

Boldly go and declare life
And living
And being alive
In 2025

Pictures from Sardinia Bay sunset December 2024