It’s been an intense few days. There was the inauguration of Donald Trump and then the next day the Women’s March, which went down as one damn amazing historical protest. I’m so proud to be a woman.
Sunday night at the dinner table, after we read the Lectionary and lit the candles, we spent considerable time talking about our Christianity, and how it informs and molds our lives. My daughter wanted to understand some of the verses we’d read in the four scripture passages, and my son had some questions about prophecy. I gave a kind of historical overview of the Old Testament so they could understand how things tie together.
The conversation eventually morphed into the political situation of today, and our response to everything going on. They talked about their school friends, and the conversations they’re having about everything in their classrooms. Finally, I ended our time by talking about how our Christian practice needs to gird us with an understanding of humanity and the whole earth. I talked to my kids about how God created everyone in God’s image: male and female, and how as a result everyone in the whole wide world has dignity. People have a certain value that is intrinsic to their whole self.
I told my kids that if we see anyone teasing someone, or bullying another person, or if any political system attempts to destroy a person’s value or diminish their dignity, then we have a responsibility as Practicing Christians to respond and defend our neighbors… even if they don’t look like me or believe the same things that I do. All people have value and are beloved of God.
They seemed to understand this, and seemed to comprehend the importance of a common solidarity for all humanity.
I have been thinking a lot about what my role is in this particular season we find ourselves in. After the election I grew quiet and have started writing a new novel. I’ve honed my reading and strengthened my prayer life. I’ve thought and prayed and considered things. Historically, not too long ago, wars started over the kinds of things going on in the United States. Revolutions have begun over far less political upheaval. So, it’s important to think and ponder and come up with one’s political plan and intention. It’s not good to bury one’s head in the sand and pretend like everything is all right. Nor is it good to burn the house down because someone yells, “Smoke!” We are responsible to know what we can know and respond to the truth as we ascertain it.
I think Facebook has a place. It’s important for certain kinds of things. Mainly, it helps a person know what the beat is on the street, what’s going on in the cul-de-sac per se. If you have friends who are all over the place politically, that’s all the better. It gives you, as a reader and thinker, the ability to discern what people are saying and thinking, and then to thoughtfully come to your own conclusions and take action where you see it correlates to your particular call and purpose at this time in history.
What I mean to say is that a new mother has far less time to go marching for women’s rights than a woman with grown children. The new mother is nurturing life in her house. That’s its own special kind of march. We can’t be more than we are, but we can do something intentional with the time we have. Or maybe talking to your kids at dinner about their school life and the political situation and how you view things going on is what you are called to do, and that is beautiful, too. But maybe you are called to march and picket and boycott and if you are, you best be about it. And be of good courage. You are clearly not alone.
Twitter is informative. And rather comically frightening … if you read TheRealDonaldTrump’s tweets. Twitter is like a firehose of information. So read it like you’re guzzling a firehose. If you take too much in, you’ll get sick. Instagram is my new place of peaceful harmony. I’ve noticed a lot more of us are hanging out there than ever before…. I hope we can keep Instagram from becoming a political parade of hostility.
Articles, essays, and newspapers are also absolutely imperative. We must stay informed. I get two daily summaries, morning and evening, of main events in the world and then I read several articles every day, along with subscribing to long-standing magazines that I like and trust. I get The New Yorker and The Atlantic. Some of you won’t like them because they’re too left-wing, but I like them, and so I read them. I also click on important links of some of my well-informed conservative friends who help me to stay engaged and understand where both sides are coming from.
I definitely fall more left of center than I used to, but I continue to uphold many of the values and beliefs of those who fall right of center. I share this to say, it’s not an easy situation out there right now and no one fits all sweet and nice into one round hole. That’s because we’re people.
One thing I would encourage us all to do is read a heck of a lot of literature. Literature helps us to think about things in relational ways, and not simply in concrete literal ways. Good fiction is truth told through story. It reveals the many shades and shadows of our lives and holds up our conflicts in a way that invites compassion. Fiction informs us and cultivates empathy all at the same time. Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. God knows we need empathy to muster up our courage.
I’m working as a substitute teacher out here where I live, and I’m taking a three week Spanish job at the high school starting on Thursday. If you think of me, would you pray? Wow. High schoolers are sassy!
I’m off to keep working on my novel. I’m 39,000 words in. It’s rough, about as rough as you can get. But one cannot edit a blank page, so I’m going to write a lot of bad pages, along with really bad story accompanied with a terrible plot … and then edit the heck out of it.
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I’d love to hear from you.
Thank for sharing so much of yourself. I confess, that I have had several of the same thoughts, but I could not have written them as well as you have. It is such a challenging time to model Christ’s in thought, word, and deed. It is nice to know that there are so many others that struggle. I think I may have to subscribe to your blog.
I’m so glad you wrote. Thank you. It is such a challenging time and it’s good to know we are not alone.
Warmly,
Tina
I think we also have to figure out how to prioritize our concerns. There are so many big issues on the table right now that it is easy to get overwhelmed and shut down. I just wrote everyone that I could think of about the Secretary of Education nomination. That is one that is particularly on my heart and I felt the need to take specific action. I think if we all step forward and act on even just a few of the issues that we value, it will make a difference.
I’m glad you mentioned that. John and I were talking about that last night. We all can’t take action about every single issue. But, we can stand up for the specific things we feel strongly about.
Thank you Tina for your intentionality with your children and the teaching the value of people simply because they are created and beloved by God. As a person who would probably call herself a moderate at this point (I’ve never chosen a particular political side), I’m struggling with how to respond and give wisdom to my children during this time. Children coming to school are literally saying things like, “Donald Trump hates kids”. This is a direct result of how parents are talking in their homes, in front of their kids and not thinking about the consequences of that kind of talk when it shows up on the playground. Am I a fan of DT? No I’m not. But really? “He hates kids?” I was shocked that another child said that to my child as truth. Our kids are smart – I’ve always talked to mine like they are – and yet to have actual truth, understand and process the weightier things such as our political system as an 8 year old doesn’t resonate with me. Talking to them about how to treat other people even when we differ does. I’ve even had a hard time talking out loud about any of it because I start to cry – not because I’m scared of what will happen politically, not because I’m sad of who’s in office (though again not a fan), but I’m so troubled by the violent reaction to all of it and to one another. The rage, the hysteria, the placement of so much riding on one man and what he’ll do – that’s what I’m finding so frightening – that I feel like in an instant somehow we all have lost sight of the goodness and light and have so quickly gone to death and darkness. I guess that’s why I just keep thinking to myself “it’s why we need Jesus”. I say it to my kids too and I’m becoming resigned to the fact that we’re in a time where I’m going to have to talk to them on some level about the political state of our union (a subject I don’t care to talk about with anyone at any time really) but I guess I write just to reiterate for those who read this page, your children are listening and they are literally repeating what you say and model to other little people in particular…..model thoughtfully and speak truthfully – there is a time to vent your feelings (which is not always actual truth) and the place and time is not usually wisely done in front of your littler kids. From one who rarely comments on anything…… 🙂
Hi there! It’s so good to hear from you. Thank you for writing and for sharing. I’m pretty much feeling like this is the time that we have been given to find ways to practically love our neighbors — across all lines. How? I’m not exactly sure all the time, but I think kindness, grace, long-suffering, truth-telling with compassion, and a generosity of spirit have something to do with loving our neighbors. Emma is thirteen and she’s dealing with lots of debates in class so we spend considerable time discussing her debates and trying to help her come up with thoughtful responses and to help her figure out her own thoughts and opinions, which are not always my own. Ha!
I’m troubled by the hate and anger that so easily comes to boil.
Much Love to you, and please continue to speak up and write on my blog. You are thoughtful and kind and definitely filled with significant things to share.
Warmly,
Tina