Love, Find a Way
And this is what I shall tell my heart and so recover hope—the favors of Yahweh are not all passed. His kindnesses are not exhausted. Every morning they are renewed. Great is His faithfulness.
—Lamentations 3:21-23
I am not alone in feeling the world has come undone. God surely is weeping for us. “Love God and love your neighbor,” so simple and yet we continue to miss the mark. I am weary from all the violence in my neighborhood and many neighborhoods across the land and oceans away. The words in Lamentations give me hope, because no matter how grave the day, God is working tirelessly to save us from ourselves. My soul is called to help. When the conversation is weighted in negativity, I must proclaim words of hope. When I feel no good outcome is possible, I double-down, and love to the best of my ability who and what are right in front of me, believing my small act will help further God’s plan of redemption. I fill up on experiences of beauty, love, and divinity around me, so that I have the stamina and hope necessary to meet the dark with light. It means that I pray for strangers, because the strangers are mothers, daughters, sisters, brothers, grandparents, neighbors desperate for God to make a way. I revel in the mysterious workings of my heart reaching a heart in need. Ultimately, we are all connected. God gave us each other to make our way. Love God and love your neighbor—today’s work.
In Judaism, there is a story I love about the gathering of the light called Tikkun Olam. As the story has been told, in the beginning there was one original source of Light, which supported the entire Universe. But something happened to shatter the light into infinite shards scattered across creation. Glimmers of this divine light are said to be found in every living thing, from majestic Sequoia trees to barking dogs, to soaring birds, to the beating human heart.
We are all called to search for this light, celebrate its presence, and then do whatever we can to expand it. We each have a role to play in saving this sacred world.
Don’t worry about numbers. Start with the person nearest you. Make it your daily mission to do one act of kindness that changes the day for another. You are helping love to find a way!
Dear God,
How do I make peace with the Unfair
(the cruel)?
Why must a heart be broken?
I conjure so many different outcomes—
Where mothers do not lose children
and children do not lose mothers.
Where no one is hungry and war is dropped from the common lexicon.
Where everyone knows the exquisite experience of loving and being loved.
Today, my daughter asked me how I could still believe— Like me, she painfully absorbs
the world’s hurts deep inside.
I told her the truth:
None of us is safe from the fate of Jesus,
Nor thankfully—from His destiny.
Dear God, please step in and save the day,
we both know there is much good to be saved.
I am holding You to Your promise
for Love to find a way.
Make good on Your word
For her, for me, for all.
A hopeful Amen.
Lauren Jones
October 16, 2023 at 9:23 am“None of us is safe from the fate of Jesus, Nor thankfully—from His destiny.”
I, like your daughter, needed to hear these insightful words today! Thank you as always for ushering in HOPE at the start of each week. You are a treasure, Farrell.
Tasha Green
October 16, 2023 at 9:33 amThank you 🙏
Diane Tucker
October 16, 2023 at 12:56 pmLove your post today! I try to do small kind loving acts. I don’t always make it but it has always been a goal of mine and Bill’s. Thank you for your encouragement! If we ever needed it, it is now! Hugs!
Anne Clark
October 16, 2023 at 1:45 pm❤️❤️
Polly Keith
October 16, 2023 at 5:16 pmOh I am so sad….I will be on vacation on the 8th. I can’t wait to read the book. I’ve order mine and my sisters. Beautifully written “feelings” for all that we are all feeling.
Anonymous
October 16, 2023 at 6:10 pmAmen!
Tricia Bass
October 16, 2023 at 10:47 pm♥️
Kathy Richardson
October 17, 2023 at 7:07 amThe greatest of these…
Thank you Farrell Hope
🙏🩷