Whiners, complainers, and fears, OH MY!
When I came upon a problem, or one found me, I used to go to the worst-case scenario and work my way back to solutions, the easiest one often showing up last because of the long route I decided to take through the jungle of OH MY! Frankly, this worked out well – until it didn’t.
Eventually, I discovered I was working harder to find the worst possible outcome of a problem than I would by making an immediate response. Whining, complaining and fearing take a lot of energy. Dwelling on how awful things might be exhausts the creative spark necessary to move ahead. Response-ability is handicapped by inhabiting the land OH MY! where imagined charging lions, tigers and bears roam.
Thank God for the fact that people can and do change. I know that may shock some of you. Yes, people change. In my spiritual tradition, it is called being reformed, always being reformed. Sadly, we Americans are coping with millions of people who are stuck on the byways of those jungle threats. So much so that we truly live in two different worlds even when we are next-door neighbors.
In one world, nothing anywhere is ever good or even good enough. Everywhere and everything is awful. Whining, complaining, and fear-mongering suck up all the energy and imitate liveliness rather than incarnating new life able to respond to real concerns.
In the other world, when things are not good enough and not good, there is work to be done and sleeves are rolled up. In place of complaint, community; in place of fear, facility; and whine—well, tables overflow and wine might even be poured. Bearing each other’s burdens becomes an awe-full experience of real-life responding to alarms and needs.
Hurricane Helene has brought out the worst in the whiners and the best in the reformers. People who have lost everything are being fed at tables overflowing with PBJ salted with tears. Their complaints fuel the community being born of the love of neighbor. People who have actually lived the worst-case scenario are finding moments of creative energy to bring new life where death is still being counted and suffering is in its infancy.
Beyond the borders of the real jungle of destruction are the whiners, complainers and fear-mongers busy making up stories of worst-case but non-existent threats. The national response from individuals to government agencies (local, state and national) is engaged. Non-profit agencies and religious organizations are united and working together despite their own terrible losses to provide whatever they can to lessen the daily hunger and thirst of the hurting. Individuals have made millions in donations financially, in private aircraft and trucks, boats, and off-road vehicles. No whining—just humane and human response. No time for OH MY!
Real, live helpers don’t have time for pointing fingers. They simply lend a hand.
Thank God for them.
Peace,
RevBev
To make a donation to one group of helpers go to:
Black Mountain Presbyterian Church at:
https://bmpcnc.org
Or Presbyterian Disaster Assistance–Helene:
https://pda.pcusa.org/situation/hurricane-helene/
Images: “Lions-Tigers-Bears-sw” by cheaphits is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.
“has everyone been fed?” Black Mountain Presbyterian Church, Black Mountain, NC
bevfriedlander 