Responding to Upsetting Words: Thursday's Reflection

Like many of you, if not all of you, I have felt sick, sad, outraged, scared in response to our President's message, "Go back to where you came from," and I have felt just as sick, sad, outraged, and scared as members of his administration have attempted to justify that sentiment. 

There is no justification. Period.

Yesterday morning during my devotion time, however, I tried to breathe in a different meaning into those words. I asked, "How can I reframe those words in a way that will deepen my relationship with God and change the way I live and move in the world? How can those words awaken me to life and not death?"

As I sat in my comfortable chair, attempting to let go of fear and find a rhythm of love and peace, I thought about the many times I  moved, both as a child and as an adult. Being the new kid in school or the new adult on the block or at a job is not easy, and trust me, sometimes I would have welcomed the ability to go back to where I came from. But that was not an option, nor would it have been the best thing to do. At times I wasn't even sure where "home" was. What helped each time was someone with a friendly smile and an open hand; someone who showed me how to navigate my new home; how to settle in. 

Obviously, my story bears no resemblance to what refugees and immigrants experience. Instead, I tried to imagine how it would feel if someone had thrust those mean words at me. Once again, I felt sick, sad, outraged, and scared. I wasn't making much progress in my hope of finding new meaning for myself in those words.

Ok, another direction. 

How about if I used those words to remind me to go back to my core values, to the beliefs that ground me, to the love that brought me into this world and surrounds me? How about if I return to the basic tenets of this country that all are created equal and have a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? How about if I remember that we are all created in the image of God? We are all beloved. How about if I cleared the space to live with integrity and an open heart?

How about if I lived the spiritual practice of hospitality and spiritual friendship? 

How about if I went back home to the ways Jesus taught? 
                  You shall love the Lord your God 
                  with all your heart, and with all your soul, 
                  and with all your strength, and with all your mind; 
                  and your neighbor as yourself." (from Luke 10) 

That is my hope for myself and for all of us. 

One more thought:  
                   In the stillness of the quiet, if we listen,
                   we can hear the whisper of the heart giving
                   strength to weakness, courage to fear, hope
                   to despair.   Howard Thurman

An Invitation
I invite you to go back home to your true self. What does that mean to you? I would love to know.