We arrived at dinner a few minutes early. As we waited for our table, I noticed the Josette Tribune positioned carefully so that anyone wanting to be informed could be. Although it was a summer edition, it was a fun play on old-school information sharing. If nothing else, it was good for a smile as I remember the way information used to be shared.
As the waiting stretched out and into patience, I found myself reflecting on the difference of being “informed” and “not knowing”. In an age where one is flooded with images, sounds, and words, I find it impossible to absorb it all. Gone are the days of getting the morning paper and reading it leisurely on the way to work. With feeds on all my devices, video in the elevators, and the rarity of quiet space, I often find myself trying to escape. It is difficult to know fact from fiction, what is useful versus what can be ignored.
I can hear a life whisper reminding me that I often filter what is important by the values and priorities closest to my heart. I love beauty and wonder, so anything that falls into this category easily gets by my filters. I long for compassion and kindness. When I see it, I can hear life cheering. I thirst for a sense of welcome and belonging to a community. When it is tangible and felt, I experience hope and courage.
Being informed changes everything. I find an amazing consistency in the Divine promise of peace and hope across many faith systems. One writer described it this way; “Each of us is raised into a light-filled world by our Father so that we can see where we’re going in our new grace-sovereign country.” (Romans 6.5) With my embrace, the informed part of me discovers itself in a new place.
It is natural to share with others. In addition to simply sharing information, one discovers that s/he is now a member of a community. A place where trust grows, where burdens are shared to lighten the load.
