Ripple effects

Some moments have a ripple effect. 

This statement has a power behind it that leaves me with an image of a stone breaking the glassy surface of water causing rings to swell and radiate to the shore. When my brothers and I were little, we often went to the creek to have practice of skimming the stones across the water surface trying to see whose stone skims the surface the most. My stone more often than not, just hit the water sinking. It took a little while to master the art, then I was able to pass onto my childhood friend who came to learn, with her teaching her brother. A simple kiwi childhood experience which in later years leaves me to reflect that some moments after the break through within us have a ripple that radiate for days, months or even a lifetime. 

Over the past few days I have been trying to get much of my ‘TO DO LIST’ complete, with lots of small task and a few not so small ones that I have been “procrastinating” on. On the list was a written piece on Elizabeth Prout, who as you know is our foundress. I was pondering on what she would say to us today! This paragraph I have taken out of my written piece, yet gives the message that I feel is so relevant and powerful. 

I wrote it in first person, as if Elizabeth was speaking herself…. 

I ask you today to not just be!. 

It is our routines and our comforts that allow us to ignore or soften social issues. 

The story is all around us of social injustice challenging our privileges and entering our routines making them impossible to ignore. 

Social injustice cannot be ignored when society is forced to deal with them. Remember, the Lord makes all things beautiful from the inside out; 

while often human kind usually make things look good on the outside, 

no matter how tawdry they may be on the inside. 

Sometimes when the air hits our skins and the world is under our toes, 

let us not forget slavery is stitched into the fabric of our clothes 

and there is chaos and commotion wherever we go. 

Let us not be fooled to think we need a three piece suit to argue for truth, 

believe the message that if suddenly the world’s problems come into our home, we have to realise that they are connected to everything and everyone on earth. 

Look behind the usual pieces of art, whatever the medium, back into the seams, joints and interior framing and you will often find an embarrassing pastiche, a lack of craft, a disdain for interior wholesomeness, all covered up and slicked over by exterior gloss, for what uncaring people see or agents and publishers contract for. 

Try to make your “work” elegant from the inside out, as if this were the only way to examine it, and in so doing you will join up with the mind of the One in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

The thrown stone makes its arc in the air, descending downward, aiming to shatter the water’s surface. 

Daily there is news stories, there are articles, images flash across the screen, filling our inbox and all around us. At times its so easy to feel utterly overwhelmed by hearing stories of witnessing or experiencing human suffering; heart breaking stories with mental images of miles of poverty and millions of suffering souls. I’m certain we all share in this burdened by the concept of suffering - how can this be? How on earth can we even begin to enter in and respond to such enormous injustice and suffering?

Being overwhelmed by suffering is no excuse for doing nothing. 

This is so point blank, naked truth that leaves you paralysed but the harsh reality of suffering, to be stuck inwardly condemning global injustice, is not an option the Lord gave us. 

The Lord doesn’t sugar coat the pain and brokenness of the world. He calls it out - He shines a light on those who are lonely, abandoned, oppressed and poor (James 1:27) He knows the desperation, the dire circumstances, and the darkness we encounter, both in global proportions and in the midst of our most intimate and personal daily struggles. (Psalm 139:12) 

The other week in our parish was a Mercy Virgil, where we put together a reflective few hours, with adoration, taize prayer and a ceremony of coming together to add another ripple to the surface in practical ways responding to the seven corporal works of mercy. There was practical outreaches on each of the cards that were provided encouraging and challenging each of us to step out, become that stone that causes the ripple or simply continue the ripple effect. Simple acts yet provide the starting point. 

I guess the point Im making is that everywhere we look even on the clothes we wear, often have the stitching of injustice on them. Through this is not a time to be feel lost or overwhelmed as our rather large almighty power beacon comes as seen in Luke (4: 18-19).

This is a very ‘sweet’ reminder that the Lord is our defender and our hope, we can extend that to the brokenness we encounter on this hard road, meeting those on the path that whose cross needs a little lifting or simply rest. After all we are all called to be missionaries. Some in areas of great poverty and others in fields starting in our home and when we walk out the front door. We are missionary’s disguised as teachers, nurses, educators, religious, laity, gardeners etc. and we can touch the hurting everyday if we choose to honour His call. If we all work together in our called mission field and support others in theirs we could see the Lord do great miracles every day. As Mother Teresa so articulate said - 

"I alone can not change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples." 

I pray that the Lord reminds me of my everyday missionary field and I get ready to be a missionary everyday. Following Him and hearing his voice to reach the hurting both in my world and on the boundaries where one might feel forgotten yet is not. 

Lets never forget.... 

He has solidarity with us, we can offer solidarity to the hurting. 

He defends us, we can defend others. 

He is our ultimate Judge, we can fight for justice. 

He is our hope, we can hold onto hope for ourselves and extend it to others. 

Christ entered in to rescue us. And, the ripple effect of that rescue goes on and on and on and on