Prayerful Action Rather Than Learned Helplessness

“…Yeah, but what can we do?”

How often in these “tumultuous days” have you asked or been asked this question?

We are at constant risk of untenable stress levels. We feel it in our body, our mind, our spirit. Social scientists and psychologists have all kinds of theories and understandings about what happens to us when we face an “unprecedented” and constant barrage of noxious stimuli — anxiety, helplessness, exhaustion. So many of us are living under these heavy weights.

When we are angered and scared by the news of war and conflict and doom, it is natural and normal to want to fix it, right away, or at least to do something that will make us feel completely better in a hurry. But God doesn’t hand us a bazooka to blast away the badness; in my experience God gives us seeds to plant for a crop of goodness. We want quick solutions that decisively change the problem so we can go on with our lives; God usually invites us into slow growth that changes us and gives us new vision to navigate the world the way it actually is.
We might feel quite helpless right now. But part of a life of faith is knowing that God is always with us and is always willing to lead us deeper into building the kin-dom, a life and community of peace.

In our stress, let’s sit for a moment, together or alone. Breathe. Ask God what we can do today to make the world better. What seeds can we plant? Seeds of love, compassion, resilience, welcome, sharing, fairness, comfort, and community. And then, let’s do what God is leading us to do, and be who God is leading us into being, in these whelming days.

Someone might claim, “You have faith and I have action.” But how can I see your faith apart from your actions? Instead, I’ll show you my faith by putting it into practice in faithful action. — James 2:18

Things You Can Do:

1) Pray, worship, converse with people of faith and others. Read scripture, listen to justice preachers, listen for God speaking. https://www.biblegateway.com/

2) Attend and join Indivisible meetings and rallies. Pro-democracy education and advocacy. https://rutlandcountyindivisible.org/

3) Help Bridge to Rutland and attend their trainings. Ask to be invited to a Board meeting. Speak with Ellen Green for more about this. https://bridgetorutland.com/

4) Volunteer with Rutland Neighbors (formerly Companions in Wholeness). See their website for more info. Ellie McGarry or Linda Allen are good people so talk to. We are having our first annual “Winter Sleep-Out” March 20 and welcome you to participate and sponsor. https://rutlandneighbors.org/

5) Support the Grace Justice Action Task Force. Help organize monthly Action-Step Launch Meetings, read and contribute articles to the J-Mail, be aware of meeting date/times and tell people about it. Bring a friend or three to a meeting of the JATF.  Contact the Church Office for more info

6) Choose education over scrolling or denial. Intentionally choose a justice topic you want to know more about (so you can act on it!) and write specific questions and pursue learning on purpose. https://www.ucc.org/

With you in faith and action,  — Terry