Holey, Wholly, Holy

One of the best parts of my June was attending Pride festivals. A dad came to the PFlag booth to chat at one of these events. As usual, I was wearing my clergy collar and Pride hat and the absolute best tie dyed for Pride overalls! We talked for quite some time.

Toward the end of our conversation, he quietly confessed, “Sometimes I feel so isolated with all the harm being done in our country today. I don’t know where to find hope. Where do you go for hope?”

That question has become more challenging for me as this year has progressed. I’ve seen rights stripped from friends and family with current policies. I hear the fear from friends about what’s to become of treatments for illness, support for education – especially for my friends with children with special needs or whose first language isn’t English, and for those struggling to figure out how to afford college or retirement. And sometimes, I struggle to find hope, too.

I told him that, as a person of faith, my first go to is the Bible. In the Bible I find hope in communities holding onto faith when they have been oppressed. Each morning as I do my devotions I listen for the call to care for the immigrant, the poor, the scorned, and the ignored. I find hope in how God has gone before and will come again to those who hold onto faith. I cling to scriptures that bring me hope:

“Nothing can separate us from the love of God.” Romans 8:39

“So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9

And nearly any Psalm of lament (I find it best to just keep reading as they speak to me)

But for many, faith is not where hope is found. So, I offer this alternative. Stop doom scrolling and start acting. It’s easy to get stuck on the loop of terror and fear. Being a part of so many Pride events reminded me of the beauty of the LGBTQ community that has accepted me for who I am.

I go to PFlag and two book clubs every month with people that accept me for who I am. Sometimes we talk about what’s happening in the world around us and sometimes we escape from it. I meet friends for coffee/tea and meals. I surround myself with all that is good and loving and grace-filled and accepting that I possibly can.

And I remind myself every time I get sucked into the endless loop of doom that when we stand up for justice and love by writing to our representatives and sharing how we feel or checking in with a neighbor or friend as they go through a difficult time, we draw our circle just a little wider to move beyond isolation and toward community.

How are you finding community these days and how has this inspired you to move outside of isolation and fear?