Horizons

It is a wet, cold, windy winter day in New York.  Spring cannot come too soon!  The brief glimpses of warm, sunny, with a light breeze kind of weather have nurtured one’s longing for the hope spring always brings.  Yet in the midst of the rain and pending cold weather to come I find the links with life too hard to ignore.  We live in a world which batters, bruises, and tears at our souls.  There is too much pain, exploitation, and injustice surrounding everyone on this journey.  One glimpses and longs for lasting peace.  Hope and new beginnings can’t come too soon!
 
I know this yet realize the winter is there for a purpose.  We cannot ignore the issues around us.  We must stand, engage, and fight for the values and priorities we hold dear to our hearts.  It is more than just defending my turf.  That isn’t enough!  We must reach out, understand the burden others carry on within our communities and do something about it!  We have helping hands to offer.  We carry hope which can be shared.  We can see what others can’t.  This gives us a foundation on which to act, addressing the injustice in their lives, building for a better future, dealing with the wrongs.
 
We are not alone, no matter how bleak it might seem.  There is a Spirit of Compassion, Mercy, and Love which travels along side.  The Spirit’s offer of help is unconditional, available to all without any filtering criteria.  It is our mission to work towards the future.  We can defend those who cannot defend themselves, and we should.  Yet we should also trust that the Spirit will deal with the past.  I believe there is a scene yet to be played out where “the boots of all those invading troops, along with their shirts soaked with innocent blood, will be piled in a heap and burned, a fire that will burn for days!” (Isaiah 9.5)  The accountability will be played out but our horizon is different.  We are hope.  We are compassion.  We are opportunity.