Many things in our day invite us to ‘care’ about them solely or primarily—and they are worthy issues to give our attention to on a regular basis. Societal unrest. Racial tensions. Political elections. Governmental policies and changes. The covid-19 crisis. The environment. The rise and fall of the economy. The future education of our children. The health of our families. . . the list goes on and on. I am invited to care about things big and small on a daily basis.
Even things that are not culturally important can draw my ‘caring’ nature toward them. While I try to focus on the multifaceted nature of the first list of things “to care about,” there are other items my mind is drawn to regularly—as I am sure your mind is drawn to them as well. Sports teams and scores. Social media posts. Entertainment news and stories. Neighborhood gossip. Even small things, such as these, invite me to think upon them for a season. With all of these issues and passions before us, our minds begin to cloud up, eyes glaze over, and our focus can be lost, or at least diminished.
However, whether it is big issues or little distractions, I have my pick of where to place my passions each day and what to care about. I cannot think about my favorite sports team while at the same time caring about the social unrest outside of my home effectively. Like I said, there is only so much ‘bandwidth” in our brains.
I hope at this point, that you have noticed that I have not said anything about caring for God, for the needy, or about my Christian faith walk and response. I have not talked about caring for personal time to reflect biblically on the revelation of God for us. Those spiritual choices are present as well, and with so much socially to think about, God and God’s mission can be relegated to the periphery if I am not careful in how I care. I can become distracted or lost in what to ‘care’ about.
So go back with me to your definition of ’to care”. . .
The Henri Nouwen Society offers their definition of ‘care.’ I invite you to read through this quotation slowly, deliberately. Because of its length the temptation might be to read it quickly or skim through it (you might think that there are other things to care about today then taking the necessary time to read the paragraph). Doing so will only limit the impact of the following words.
Sit with them and see what reflections God offers to you today:
"To care is to cry out with those who are ill, confused, lonely, isolated, and forgotten, and to recognize their pains in our own heart. To care is to enter into the world of those who are only touched by hostile hands, to listen attentively to those whose words are only heard by greedy ears, and to speak gently with those who are used to harsh orders and impatient requests. To care is to be present to those who suffer and to stay present even when nothing can be done to change their situation. To care is to be compassionate and so to form a community of people honestly facing the painful reality of our finite existence. To care is the most human gesture, in which the courageous confession of our common brokenness does not lead to paralysis but to community."
I wonder if your definition of ‘care’ needs some reworking?
Blessings
Rev. Derek
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