I can be so opinionated! (Duh!)
I had the opportunity to pray at the Interfaith Service yesterday. It was a powerful experience to hear Arabic, Hebrew and English prayers going to God ('as we know him' - as one of the leaders pointed out). For many that is difficult to deal with, we have separated our faith into different camps and each
one of us thinks we got it right. When I get to meet the men and women who believe differently from
me, I admire their convictions and their heart for God, but it also solidifies my own faith in the God of the Bible. I don't have to dislike people because they are different from me. I can learn from them, love
them, and be in unity with them. I can learn from my Muslim friends their conviction to prayer and their dedication to Ramadan. I can learn from my Jewish friends their persistence and strength despite brokenness. I can learn from other Christian faith traditions the power of prayer, the joy of the Spirit, the devotion to Scripture. Each person I encounter can teach me something.
BUT I also realize how opinionated I can be. How I can be set in my ways, judging people for their different way of living, their way of using their gifts and strengths and convictions. I know it comes from
my trauma and the need to evaluate things quickly to ensure safety, but I want to learn to be more generous, more forgiving, more open to others.
We live in a divided world, and I don't want to contribute to the ongoing pain of distrust. I want to be a healer by listening well, engaging with difficultly and staying in the room with difference. At the same time, I do not want to lose my own moral compass. I don't want to be silent in light of injustice. I do not
want to be unengaged in the beauty of Merced. There are so many good things happening here, and while I can't be everywhere, I love to see the diversity of people in our hometown, I love to see and hear and smell the various cultures represented, the various faith expressions, the various cultural
celebrations. Merced is rich! Rich in people who care enough to make a difference and while I might not always understand their methods, I want to thank every person who is doing something to make our communities a better place. Because Dr. King's truth still stands: "The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people, but the silence over that by the good people."