This Little Light of Mine!
AM Psalm 37:1-18 • PM Psalm 37:19-42
Hab. 3:1-10(11-15)16-18 • Phil. 3:12-21 • John 17:1-8
As I write this, the Russian army, under the orders of Vladimir Putin, is in the second day of the invasion of Ukraine. In Ukraine, people are dying, people are terrified, homes and buildings are being destroyed, people are trying to flee the country as a result of this wicked, unprovoked invasion of their country. And the psalmist who wrote Psalm 37 says, (my interpretation): Keep your cool, don’t get angry. God will take care of this, “and the wicked shall be no more.” “ ...the LORD laughs at the wicked, for he sees that their day is coming.” In other words, trust that God will punish the wicked, and don’t fret about it now.
I don’t like that message. I want God to do something now to reduce the suffering in Ukraine, Afghanistan, for LGBTQ+ people in this country, for women who need healthcare without government interference, and so many other situations and places across the globe. I vacillate between being numb to these realities and opening my heart, painfully, to the suffering in the world.
As an antidote to my own pain and emotionality, we find Jesus, in the gospel passage, who is hours from his crucifixion, praying with love and gratitude for his disciples. That passage calmed me, reminded me that, somehow, love is the answer. But wasn’t terribly clear for me, either. When I went on Facebook this morning, a post with this text came up (I’m sure many of you saw it.):
“This, my dear, is the greatest challenge of being alive:
To witness the injustice of this world,
and not allow it to consume our light.”
This made sense to me. This is something I can aspire to, regardless of what God does or does not do to punish the wicked, regardless of what the wicked themselves do, I can attempt to stand firm and to let my light, my love, shine. Help me, God!
Written by Cathy Campbell
Cathy is a semi-retired professional counselor. She works toward being able to have relationships with people she profoundly disagrees with. She advocates for marginalized groups, especially LGBTQ people.