What We Do Makes a Difference. Period.

While the regular, "I hope this letter finds you well..." greeting may seem like wishful thinking bordering on trite, I truly hope you are doing as well as can be during this moment in our collective life together.

And if you are not, you are not alone.

Like clockwork, and usually after watching the news, I often stumble like a ragdoll into a pit of despair, wondering during my rapid descent if anything I do makes any difference at all. When I look around the world and observe almost any issue that matters to me — the injustice system, unattainable housing, inaccessible educational opportunities, the scourge of militarism, our addiction to gun violence, legislated racism, ongoing genocides, nationalized cruelty, theological malpractice, disappointed in community and colleagues...and on and on — it really does feel like I am racking up the losses.

And yet, before I hit the bottom, I force myself to choose hope.

I am not talking about a bumper-stickered, t-shirt-sloganed, "don't worry, be happy" industrial complex kind of hope. Rather, I embrace a hope that is given depth, texture, and meaning by a people and a faith that demand it of me.

Because it seems as though things are just getting worse and worse, I often find myself screaming into the void some version of, "What we have done hasn't accomplished anything!" This is often followed by a barrage of expletive-laden accusations and blame leveled at institutions, individuals, and political parties for their ineptitude, ambivalence, and inaction. While this feels like a legitimate assessment in the immediacy of the moment, I always have a twinge of discomfort when I am in this frame of mind. I wonder how my ancestors feel about me saying that their responses to the injustices of their day have not made a difference in my life, and I wonder if my descendants will feel the same about how I am responding to the injustices of my time. Can you imagine what our world would be like if our ancestors hadn't done anything? How much worse would the world be? How much worse would my life be? And if we choose to give in and give up today? How much worse will the world be for generations to come? I believe what my ancestors did has made a difference in the world — so I am compelled to believe that what I do does too.

One of the other places where I am inspired to hope is when I am in the midst of friends and communities who carry wisdom and perspective greater than I could ever muster on my own. From friends in Palestine who hope because their families have outlived kingdoms and empires; to a parishioner who hoped, fueled by the belief that God had a calling for him even in the final months of his life; to movements of loving justice-seekers whose hope toppled mountains of social, cultural, and institutional transgressions I have been shown that what others have done has made a difference in the world — so I am compelled to believe that what I do does too.

And finally, I hope because of my Christian faith. Yes, there are some warped versions of Christianity out there, but central to the version I profess and confess is peace, love, joy, and hope. It is a faith that believes that God is calling us into a relationship of goodness and grace, manifested in just and genuine relationships with one another. And it is a faith that makes the brazen claim that, through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, even out of overwhelming destruction, death, and despair, we can and will know wholeness, healing, and hope. And honestly, despite our best attempts to render faith as inconsequential, I have too often seen faith-based action make a difference in the world — so I am compelled to believe that what I do does too.

So there you go. In no way do I expect folks to be hopeful on command, especially when it doesn't feel genuine or attainable. We all have to move when and how we feel called. Sure, we can continually improve and do better with our strategies and actions, but as we do so, it must be fueled by a belief that what we do, even when it feels like a loss, makes a difference. So with that, I deeply hope that you will leave space for hope so you can manifest hope in your heart, mind, and soul, because when we do, our collective hope makes a difference in the world.

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