Thursday, February 18
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done…..
Pete Seeger’s wife, Toshi, is known to have said that she would have preferred that her husband had an affair with another woman than to be in love with the whole world. I’m not sure how that would have panned out for her, but it’s easy to see that the demands of the world never stop, and in Pete’s case, responding to the demands of the family of humanity often kept him from attending to the family at home. This is probably true of the great majority of public figures whom we admire for the justice work they’ve done on a grand scale, the Martin Luther Kings, Desmond Tutus, Nelson Mandelas and Sojourner Truths of the world. Who among us would fault them for accepting a call to greatness which inspired millions of others to engage in creating change needed to bring us closer to the dream of equality for all, at any price?
Most of us are not Pete Seegers or Sojourner Truths, but people with multiple demands to provide for our families in an ever more competitive job market while simultaneously seeking satisfaction in our work, being a responsible member of our community, and being present and engaged in the lives of those we love. As Christians, we understand that it’s our responsibility to create the Kingdom of God on earth, which I understand to mean that we are called to “do justice.” When we see the challenges of incorporating this call into our busy lives and the cost it may entail on our families and jobs, it’s easy to become discouraged and feel powerless. After all, I’m not Martin Luther King; what can I do, anyway?
Lent is a time for reflection, lament, and preparation for new life. Just as the changing seasons provide a cycle of balance that incorporates death and rebirth, we need to search for a cycle of balance in our own lives. So here’s the good news: I don’t have to try to be something I’m not called to be; I merely have to do what I can do and be who I am called to be. The question is not whether I’m the next Bernice Johnson Reagon; it’s how can I integrate a sustainable level of social justice work into my life in a way that’s committed and balanced? This question will be answered differently depending on one’s circumstances, interests and abilities. For some, a full-time job as an activist is a calling. For others, joining a Transition Town or Black Lives Matter group in our hometown is an option. And for others, parenting in a way that surrounds our children with love while modeling a commitment to equality and sustainability is a way of living out a call to do justice during their formative years. It’s not about how big the job is, but that we do what we are able. And when it comes down to it, Nelson Mandela didn’t end apartheid; he inspired others to end apartheid. We are those others.
God of All People, Grant me the wisdom to understand your call for me, and to live a life in service of all of your people which is sustainable and motivated by love. Help me play my part in realizing your kingdom “on earth as it is in heaven.”
Willie Sordillo