for when history waits for us

For the past week, every time I read the news from any part of the world, I can feel fear wrap around me like a blanket. Strong, heavy, unbearable. I can hear the stories from my history classes in university and high school, stories of people turning against each other, of wars and raids, of the destruction of people, of corruption and power, and it seems like we are running toward our destruction.

We are not nearly as good as we thought we were.

Whatever corner of the world you are in when you read this, it doesn’t matter. I sense that you want your life to matter, and you want to live beyond the seemingly hopeless realities in the news. You feel a call to do something, but what? How? When? You feel helpless. I know I do. This is for you – the one who wants to fight, the one who wants to create and not consume, the one who knows you have something you want to do but isn’t sure how to do it.

Rest

I’m convinced that rest is the solid foundation from which a life of impact grows. Our brains, emotions and bodies were not made for daily and constant information. Turn off the news. Get off social media. When you start to feel hysterical, discouraged or depressed, you need to rest.

The place of rest – daily, weekly, yearly rest – is where I surrender and acknowledge that I cannot do anything on my own. Practicing rest builds a humility deep into my life because it is a regular acknowledgment of reality: I need help. Humility is an armour for us in these turbulent times, we need it to protect us from the belief that we know everything and can do everything. 

Find the margins.

There is always work to be done in the margins. There are people in all of our communities who are forgotten, and who believe that their lives are worthless and disposable. Two weeks ago I was in the library and witnessed a young person mistreating a child. A few days later, I saw the same person again in Kmart. I don’t think this was a coincidence. Both times I was faced with someone in the margin, a bewildered, hurting child and a lost, broken parent. I had no idea what to do then, but I know that this was not a coincidence. It was an invitation. To do something. To ask questions. To provide wisdom and truth. To be present. Your margins are different from my margins – be present in your community and find the people who are afraid and pushed to a corner. Who could you connect with in your community? What are the needs of your schools, government and neighbourhoods? Where do your gifts connect with the needs around you?

Pick one thing

Choose one issue to which you can devote whatever time and resources you have. It is impossible to do everything, and in this age of information I can get passionate about everything. But I wonder if everything is distracting me from the one thing that I can do. Find your one thing. Learn about it. Research it. Do what you can. The one thing will also lead you to the people you need to work with.

You are not just a witness to history today. You get to play a part in creating it. Let’s reject helplessness together, let us embrace the small ways we can lend our life toward the needs around us.

Now it’s your turn: What are you going to do today? How can you rest from the anxieties of daily life? What are the margins in your world? What is the one thing you can do?