You Must Have Hope

My friends and I went to see Bryan Stevenson at the Paramount Theater on Monday night. The author of Just Mercy, (http://bryanstevenson.com/the-book/) an award-winning account of his labors to save death-row inmates from their sentences (in many cases, unjust), rallied a full house of law students, professors, and middle-aged activists. When asked how he remained hopeful in the face of overwhelming need, he responded "You must have hope. It is your fuel. You're either hopeful or you are a part of the problem."  Stevenson reminded us that generations have suffered through far worse times, and that our opportunities to fight and achieve justice are greater now than ever before.

Those fighting words found a home in my ear and resonated in my heart. The many injustices piling up at the feet of our new administration (against Muslims, immigrants, the earth) have daunted my purpose and blighted my spirit. On one track in my mind I see a train rushing right to the end of the world, on another, parallel track I plan the week or my children's bright futures. The tracks diverge slowly, and it's hazardous to keep my mental train on the rails.

Yet I keep encountering words to lift me up, push me forward.  In my copy of Reflections, a publication of the Yale Divinity School (http://reflections.yale.edu/),  I read this in an article titled "From Dread to Generosity": "The Bible dares to suggest that those who claim to be God's people but fail to show God's concern for justice for the needy are not really God's people at all."

The gauntlet thrown down.  As I decide what to do when I grow up, plot an uncertain career path from now until retirement, I constantly face reminders that work for justice takes priority over prestige and titles - and salary. I struggle inside the cage of my  mind, beat metaphorical fists against the confinement of this mandate, but encounter a version of Stevenson's words every time I pick up a book or magazine. The message, for better or worse, is clear.


PS - Speaking of "for better or worse," we just returned from a beautiful wedding in the Los Gatos foothills. Congratulations to Scott Himmelberger and Cyndi Barmore, a lovely couple now treading their honeymoon path in New Zealand. Thank you both for the occasion to be happy, to rejoice in a strong new bond that will bring light and life to the world. The young people definitely bolster my hope in the world.