As I paused at dusk, considering the sunset to come, I found myself experiencing the dust hanging in the air as if it was a lesson whisper. While the scene might seem quietly serene to some, I knew it was anything but. The crypto server farm appeared silent in the day only to bear bright witness throughout the night to the work which runs constantly across the minutes, hours, and days. Through the haze, the Mina port hides cruise ships that stop for a day or so at this time of year. Bustling streets, an active fish market, and more are invisible, hiding in a wrapping of dust in the air.
Life is often a game of hide and seek. I often give in, seeing only the surface. It is as if I let the dust at dusk tell me all there is to see.
The downside when this happens is my acceptance of evil personas at work. They are there, “fork-tongued God-bashers. Bullies, swaggerers, insufferable windbags! They keep inventing new ways of wrecking lives. They ditch their parents when they get in the way.” (Romans 1.30). I should see and respond but I take comfort in the dust, willingly oblivious to the price paid by the community which includes my heart and soul.
In sensing the wind and morning sea mist that will come and take the dust back to its rightful place, I hear the invitation to stand tall as a witness for compassion, acceptance, and community. It is a wide-open call to action. Everyone is included, no exceptions. Whatever one’s history is, it does not change the opportunity to participate. The invitation is for the present. Strong, weak, powerful, and struggling, everyone has a potential role to play.
I recall responding to past invitations. In each response, I experienced a sense of peace which comes from doing what love has called me to. I rediscover hope in a way that infuses me with courage and energy. With action, I understand my purpose with more clarity.
Dust can overwhelm, love even more so.
