LOOK UP
By Emily Crawford-Thompson, Ph.D.
January 2, 2022
What an honor it is to know such souls of integrity, such warriors of valor.
Are you weary and burdened, exhausted, and grieved? I know. In this long season, are you surprised by the effort it sometimes takes to avoid sinking into some level of despair? In our work counseling healthcare professionals, we hear your pain, your disenfranchised grief, and your deep fatigue. We admire your valiant search for hope, and we applaud you, our healthcare heroes!! What an honor it is to know such souls of integrity, such warriors of valor (Judges 6:12). Be encouraged today. Keep grasping for the hope even when it feels like you are grasping for straws. Keep searching for light, and keep speaking your voice. Tell us what you need, and Lord help us all to do our part to help you. Lately I have had an image come to mind of trudging through mud, slowly, and stretching upward, reaching for a glimmer of hope toward brighter days ahead.
I have been deeply disheartened at times by the hateful divisiveness in our nation. It seems that very damaging assumptions are often made about those who hold different viewpoints from one another. Indeed, those with a different perspective are often demonized. It seems many have shunned opportunities to show humility, kindness, and compassion. Indeed, the loudest voices seem to be those with spiteful spirits that reflect just how far some have lost their way. Instead of empathy, I have too often witnessed (and been on the receiving end of) judgment and shaming. Instead of a helping hand where it was most needed, there has been ridicule, mocking, and just plain cruelty.
There is much that could be said about all that, but this message today is about looking up. “By the Grace of God we’ll see each other’s hearts” (For King and Country, “Relate”*). That is not to say that it isn’t important to learn from this unprecedented polarization we see in our nation. In fact, reflecting on the consequences of division sometimes renews our clarion call to unity. And I hope it does. The wisdom that comes from pain is one way in which “weeping may stay for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5).
After all, how do we want to reflect at the end of 2022, whatever it may bring? Do we want to know that we did everything in our power to choose a loving word or a kind action? That we did not miss, but in fact even looked for, opportunities to make someone else’s day a bit brighter? I want to be able to look back and know that I at least tried my best to be on the loving side to the degree that it was possible with me. I want to know that I strived for faith, hope, love, wisdom, compassion, unity, peace, and health. “The greatest of these is love” (1st Corinthians 13:13).
Where there was hatred, let it be known that there was also love. Where there was selfishness, let it be known that there were acts of great heroism, and more importantly, great heroes. Where there was death, there was a resurrected awareness of the value of life. Among sadness, moments of new appreciation. In a sea of suffering, wisdom and truth shone bright in a lighthouse not as distant as we once thought. Unity spoke loudly above voices of judgment, and love always wins (1st Corinthians 13:8). There was laughter and music and kindness, and the moments, though coinciding with a sadness at times, were more poignant and meaningful than ever before. Moments of unexpected kindness feel suspended in time, like a photograph I will one day review with gratitude. Are some people kinder now than ever? Or do we just notice and appreciate kindness more than ever? I think it is a little of both. Regardless, we only notice kindness if we are giving it and open to receiving it.
The pandemic is certainly more like a marathon than a sprint, with many uncertain twists and turns in the road, and difficulty seeing what lies ahead. I like to think that just around a corner we can’t yet see is where renewed hope and joy await. Keep pressing, keep pushing. Drive on. Look up**
Dear Reader, When even Reading this feels Effortful, please reach out to us at Columbia Psychology Healing Center. We are happy to help. You might also watch “I Surrender” by Lauren Daigle and Hillsong.
*Join the Clarion Call to Unity
Read more Covid Chronicles from Dr. Emily: “Broken Open” and “Ready to Reduce Stress, Worry, and Fear?” written 3/14/21, and “The Smile” written 6/3/21.
