“Give me your pain, God says, and I will make life out of it. Give me your broken, disfigured, rejected, betrayed lives, like the body you see hanging on the cross, and I will make life out of it. This is the divine pattern of promise and transformation which gives such hope to history. It is probably the central Gospel message.” (Fr. Richard Rohr)
I found this quote last night and it blew me away. As I read blogs and articles this morning, mostly about Egypt and the Muslim world, I began to be shaken. I should know better by now than to read the fanatically conservative (yes I did just put those two words together) and ignorant ranting that is going on right along with the hatred that can sometimes spew from the Muslim world. Doing what we do makes it hit close to home and I find myself in an ironic juxtoposition…stuck in the middle between the life I knew as a clueless little shrimp in middle America verses the things I see and learn every day in the Third World. Events like our world is facing right now cause me to panic slightly because I find myself in uncharted territory – the people I have come to know and love and have surrendered a fair amount to live amongst are pinned as the demon on everyone’s doorstep. I want to object, to defend, to refute, etc. But most of the time I sit powerless because this is by no means a perfect world or sinless people. I can’t deny that horrible things happen everyday in the name of Islam. The problem is, I also can’t deny the Truth that was sent for ALL people and the conviction I feel that ALL people have a right to know and experience that Truth.
So I find myself caught in the middle…knowing that fanaticism on both sides fuels hatred and anger and loathing, making the gap even further and more explosive. Enter the above quote…for this is what I hope and pray and really feel is the only way out of this mess. Oh, that we could be a people who have faith that God will change lives, bring hope and life out of dead bones!
I have a lot of opinions about what is going on in the world right now, but I have been humbled and challenged to zip my lip (which is not easy for me) and pray instead – asking that the Light of Truth truly be what guides me and the Body of Christ at this crucial time in history. May we long for this quote to be truth in every life that breathes upon the earth in these days.
T, we are so with you these days, we have watched the people of Egypt gather, and protest the government and ask for a better life in their country. Time will only tell if they have accomplished what they want to happen, and hopefully will elect the type of government that will be for the people and not for a few. Love You
ReplyDeleteI was just reading today also and found myself wondering how you guys deal with the differing views people have on Islam and Americans, etc. In fact, someone sent me an e-mail today painting a very negative view of Muslims. And I couldn't help but think, "How much of that is true, and how much is hysteria?"
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