To go in the dark with a light is to know the light.
To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight,
and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings,
and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings.
-Wendell Berry
“As the days get shorter and winter sets in, we each experience the darkness of the season. “
I started my post last December with those words, and this year the darkness seems deeper and more threatening. I feel my light dimmed by the results of the election, the ongoing threat of the changing climate, and the swelling of racism, sexism, and fascism.
But the news has been bad for decades and politicians never fail to disappoint, and I have always managed to find my hope.
Camas Friends Church’s sermon on December 1 this year was on Practicing Hope.
“Hope is not wishful thinking or passive waiting. Instead, we hope by playing an active role in bringing about an uncertain but possible future …”
Matt Boswell
And Greta Thunburg famously said:
“Once we start to act, hope is everywhere. So instead of looking for hope, look for action. Then, and only then, hope will come.”
Hope within despair (hope against hope) is like a light in the darkness. We need more than ever to be the light in the darkness, and a hope for the future.
Hope Queries:
- What future do you dream of– for yourself, others, or all of us?
- What makes you, them, or us capable of participating in the coming of that future?
- What is the path? What obstacles might arise? What will sustain us on the way?
Action builds hope and we can take action whether we have hope or not! My path is moving ahead and showing and finding areas still open for growth and others open for healing. We can always find something on this path.
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