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2 O Lord, how long shall I cry for help,
and you will not listen?
Or cry to you ‘Violence!’
and you will not save?
3 Why do you make me see wrongdoing
and look at trouble?
Destruction and violence are before me;
strife and contention arise.
Habakkuk 1:2-3
As the country begins to imagine what life will be like post COVID, a reminder of our pre-COVID troubles returned with a vengeance in the form of brutal, senseless, fatal violence. The soul cries out in despair at the sight of the dreaded headline and the voice of the prophets rings out across the centuries: "O Lord, how long…" The murder of Asian women, college students, a police officer, a grocery store employee, for no other reason than the twisted impulse of the shooter lies beyond our comprehension. We ask ourselves "what can we DO about this?" Or, more often, the frustration spews forth "why doesn't SOMEONE do SOMETHING?!" Like many of you, I feel the frustration of the slow and deadened response of the government and have lost the sense that we can find a solution through the gridlock.
So, how long, Lord? What would you have us DO? When doors are shut, we must knock. When dialog goes nowhere, we must keep the channels of communication open. When the destruction and violence are before us, we must look at it directly and weep. And, as people of faith, we must seek to align ourselves with the love of God and act out of that love. My daughter offered one of the best suggestions last week. She said, "Mom, just check in on all of your Asian friends and ask if they are okay." A seemingly small step, but a step nevertheless. Action that is born out of compassion is healing.
It doesn't end there, but it certainly can begin there.
Yours in sorrow as well as blessing,
Jen
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