The articles about how children are being treated at the border weigh on my heart. Reports of abuse, and irreparable harm take me to a place of helplessness. I sat down next to a friend whose wisdom has ripened, whose trust in God has seeped into his skin. I asked for reassurance.
He noticed that I am here, which is apparently where God wants me. There are tasks sprinkled throughout my day which may contribute to the lives of those around me. I am not, it turns out, at the edges of Arizona, and my anxiety for the children I see in pictures does little or nothing to protect them. It is still my conviction that the prayers I send do.
My friend mentioned that he has two granddaughters who live in Arizona, who have traveled into the chaos to join the legal team defending immigrants. They have become the clear voice and moist eyes of mercy, and it is fitting that they pour their attention into this clash. Now I will pray for them as well.
Fresh air wafted in even as he spoke. It is true that someone opened the door at that moment to enter the cafe, but that was a coincidence. While there are activists who jump on planes to plunge into the aftermath of hurricanes, and civil conflicts, such measures are not everyone's call. I have listened, and there is no inner dictate beckoning me to do so.
When I believe that the Creator of heaven and earth cares with exquisite love for each of His people regardless of their circumstances, I can calm down. It is possible that the spiritual task laying at the feet of those of us who are two thousand miles away is less about interrupting our routines to land in the melee, than it is to integrate compassion within our areas of influence.
I heard of a local quilt store collecting quilts to donate to refugees in Philadelphia.
Done.
A women's shelter was seeking volunteers.
Send me.
It may not be possible to bring comfort to children in Texas, but there are tears closer to home that I can be present for.
Those who trust in the Divine,although they have care for the morrow, still have it not, because they do not think of the morrow with solicitude, still less with anxiety. Unruffled is their spirit, whether they obtain the objects of their desire or not. And they do not grieve over the loss of them, being content with their lot. If they become rich, they do not regard themselves as more worthy than others. If they become porr they are not made sad. If their circumstances are mean they
are not dejected. They know that for those who trust in the Divine all things all things advance toward a happy state to eternity, and that whatever befalls them in time is still conducive to it.
-Emanuel Swedenborg, Heavenly Secrets 8478
