Hope for the Future

One filled with prayers of joy and hope...

One overflowing with tears of an unjust world...

Who is full of joy and hope?  Who is full of tears?

The grandmother, certainly, is full of joy at the birth of her grandchild.  She is full of hope that this child's life will be different--better--than hers.

But couldn't she also be overflowing with tears?Tears of fear for this innocent, vulnerable life already suffering from the impact of injustice.  Tears of despair that things will never change.

Surely, the child is doing what children do best.  Crying because the need for food is constant, as is the need for warmth, shelter and love. It won't take long for her to understand what it means to be hungry, afraid, lonely or tired.  It won't take long for her to realize life is not fair.

But isn't the child also full of joy, smiling into the eyes of adoring parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters?  Isn't she hopeful that her needs for love and care will be met?  If not immediately, at least soon enough?  If not perfectly, at least adequately?

When will she realize that it doesn't take just a village to raise a child?  It takes the entire world.  Because, unless we reach out to her--soon enough and with adequate resources--the cycle of poverty will continue.  

And so will the tears.  

What are the hopes and dreams I have for the people I love?

The first thing that comes to mind is that I don't have hopes and dreams for other people.  I barely have them for myself.  This is a state of mind for which I have taken quite a browbeating over the years from my New Age sisters and brothers.  "You won't ever experience prosperity unless you can clearly visualize it and act as if it were already done."  

Proverbs says it more succinctly:  "Without a vision, the people perish."  

I get it.  I get that I live half my waking life in a panic.  I grab on to scriptures like this one, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope," like it was a life preserver and I am drowning.

The bottom line is, I’m not drowning.  I’m fine, and so are the people I love.  We’re living the dream, (even if it seems a little threadbare). I like to think that is why I’m not so worried about hopes and dreams for myself or others.

It frees me up to be concerned for those who don’t have the luxury to dream, who live in perpetual panic for good reason. 

How can I be a sign of Christ's love in this world?

This is not rocket science.  Christ has told us how to be a sign of his love in the world:  

“When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why:

I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.’

“Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’ Matt 25: 31-40

All that is left for me to do is stay awake to the opportunities.  It may be as simple as feeding my husband words of kindness, or my mother an afternoon of my time.  It may be stopping by to visit the good folks of L'Arche, who live across the street.  It may be donating old clothes to Goodwill and food to my church's food pantry. It may be sending a get well card to Sally, or cooking a few meals for Lucy while she recovers from surgery. It may be setting apart a percentage of my income for organizations that reach out to those who are caught in the cycle of poverty.

Whatever it is, it won't happen unless I choose to dream for those who cannot dream for themselves.

I'll leave it up to God to dream about me.

How can I change my lifestyle so that others may thrive and not just survive?

That's a hot topic in our household.  Driven partly by need, what with the downturn in the economy and us both being self-employed, and driven partly by a sense of justice, we have made continual adjustments over the years. 

We’ve become a one-car couple who bikes and walks whenever we can.  We buy  what we can of our food fair trade and from local sources. Our underwear is new, but that’s about it.  Most everything else we wear comes from Goodwill.  We’ve given up TV and limit our radio listening.

Lately, John and I have been exploring how to conserve water by saving our “grey water” for things like watering the plants and flushing our toilets.  But that won’t be the end of it for us.  Changing a lifestyle is an ongoing, dynamic process. It begins with a change of heart…forgetting the lie that you are poor, and that you need more things…remembering to be wealthy in all the ways that matter most.

Why don't you listen to this song while you consider your answers to these questions? 

Seek Ye First

Hands

Leathery as elephant hide. Dark as cacao. Chapped, tired, aching.

Not hands that can take a mental health day, that can rest when sickness or injury interferes.  Not hands that hold onto the certainty of a bank account, a retirement plan, health insurance, the promise of rest without the loss of income.

Dutiful as servants, they must respond daily to the command of an unrelenting master--hunger, the most basic necessity to survival.

What work have my hands been given to do?

I have been given the gift to heal. It has been my joy and pleasure to help people find balance in mind and body with my hands.  That has been my career.

But my vocation is to love, and in that regard I find that my hands quite often play the lazy servant.  They feel entitled to days off, massages, hand lotion, play.

They are greedy, little things, too! They don't believe it's worth the while if they are not getting paid to do something.

They are also amazingly vain.  They refuse to scrub toilets, for instance.  They are appalled by making beds, washing dishes, and folding clothes.  They are not impressed by the argument that even humble labor has value and meaning.

I find that volunteer work is a good remedy for my selfish hands.  I may not be able to reach across the world to ease the suffering of my starving brother or sister, but I can drive to the hospital and use my hands to provide comfort and reassurance to cancer patients.

I can walk across the street to hang out with my new L'Arche friends.

I can cook meals for my friend who just came home from the hospital.

Do I receive just compensation?

I have no idea if I am receiving just compensation.  It's a mystery to me.  I can make in an hour what some people make in a year.  On the other hand, I've been told I under-charge for my services.  And I know right now, I'm struggling.  My business is foundering and we are using our savings to survive.  So just or unjust, my compensation is not enough.

But just compensation isn't just about money.  It's about living a meaningful life. It's about finding satisfaction and joy in using my talents, about providing a service that reminds me I'm sharing in God's work of creation and redemption.

In that regard, I am wealthy beyond my wildest dreams.  Because there is not one thing I can do in a single day that doesn't have the possibility of yielding good for another--whether it's helping a client or thrilling my husband with a clean toilet.

As a consumer, how do I shop with awareness?

Well, here's my favorite helpful hint:  Kill Your Television.  And not just your TV.  Your commercial radio stations, and your Facebook page.  In other words, to the best of your ability, limit your exposure to advertising.  Frankly, that is one of the major ways I shop with awareness--by not shopping.

That, and we buy all our clothes at Good Will.  It's not exactly the same as shopping for clothes that aren't made in sweat shops, but at least I'm limiting my own personal demand for new products.

Finally, when I'm grocery shopping, I look for fair trade options.  There aren't many, but it's a joy to buy fair trade when I can.

How can I support the efforts of fair trade?

The most obvious way to support fair trade is to buy fair trade.  I just found a website--FairtradeAmerica.org--that provides a long list of fair trade products. It's easy enough to print out, and refreshingly broad in scope!  You can find fair trade products anywhere from Aldi's to Whole Foods.

It also has suggestions for other ways to get involved.  For instance, I can help campaign for better terms of trade or to raise awareness.  As individuals, it's very easy to use social media to post stories and information about fair trade.  But maybe you want to get your community involved in a fair trade project.  This website can provide the resources.

As for me, I think I'm going to be more conscientious about buying fair trade groceries when I can.  I may be limited to avocados, bananas, chocolate, wine and coffee.  But, hey, that sounds good to me!

Why not listen to this song as you reflect on your answers to these questions?