I wish our community policy makers would live in the present. As I listened to the penultimate speech about a potential plan, I found myself listening to yesterday’s opinion and tomorrow’s promises. It is a shallow form of communicating. It can make you feel good, but only if it includes content that is relevant to the moment at hand! Recent policy speeches have lacked this relevance. I find myself, like many others, struggling to know where I can help or what I can do.
Remembering does have a role in our realities. We can learn from yesterday’s experiences. We can study the warning flags that gave way to the lessons, sharpening our vision. We can also remember how others helped us along the way. Our reflections can strengthen our resolve and fill us with measured confidence.
There are examples of how leaders have taken us through this process in the past. “Paul stood up, paused and took a deep breath, then said, ‘Fellow Israelites and friends of God, listen. God took a special interest in our ancestors, pulled our people who were beaten down in Egyptian exile to their feet, and led them out of there in grand style.’” (Acts 13.16-18) Remember has its place, however it is never the end destination.
The question is now. What are we going to do in the moment at hand? I refuse to allow myself to be caught in yesterday’s lessons or stunned by the uncertainties of tomorrow. You and I have an incredible opportunity to act because of the freedom within us. We can do anything! Our calling is to exercise this freedom, to try to make the world a better place. Our realities are an unending question of action.
Nothing is more important than the present moment. It is our window. It is a metaphorical doorway. The options are varied, often far more than we realize. Within our souls, we hold the power to give others what they are searching for – compassion, acceptance, and mercy. We can start with ourselves. We can start with this moment.
