Tonight I was bound and determined to get to StreetLife. It has been challenging this summer with our crazy schedules and I have been trying to make it a priority but its just been hard. Life happens and sometimes gets in our way. I finally made it out of the house. On my way to StreetLife the traffic was crazy driving down Capitol Drive due to a procession for a fallen Milwaukee police officer. To add to the chaos the lights were out most of the way down Capitol Dr., due to the crazy storm we had just had! So there were officers directing traffic at each intersection. At one intersection, the officer stopped us I come to a complete stop only to realize the gal behind me had not come to a complete stop. My very first thought - I don’t think I am going to make it to StreetLife! Ugh. Instead, I had a different opportunity to practice some of the things I talk about all the time. Compassion, kindness, understanding and forgiveness. These are things we strive towards every time we come together at StreetLife.
So, I get out of the car at the same time the young lady who hit me did, just in time to bring her down off the ledge! She was super upset and apologizing non-stop! I had two choices here, I could be upset and frustrated with her, or I could give her a break and show a little compassion to what just happened. She clearly wasn’t paying attention, or she was texting or something else, but me getting upset with her was not going to do any good at this point. She calmed down a little and we moved the vehicles to a safer spot and the police showed up.
I am not going to bore you with the details so I will get to my point. So many times in life, we witness human frailty and brokenness and so many times our reactions to these things are symptoms of our own human frailty and brokenness. Forgiveness has been a big topic for me lately and there are days when I struggle and days when it’s easier. Compassion is something we are all capable of but we don’t often show it. I think sometimes because it opens up the possibility that we too are vulnerable in life and human frailty. We ARE broken and we do NEED forgiveness. It’s the reason we need Jesus and the reason we should always find ways to forgive, even in the darkest of situations. It’s not easy. I am far from perfect, but I’m trying, and I think that’s all I can hope for. If you ever want to read about brokenness and forgiveness and a testament to the peace you can find from a willingness to try to forgive, read the book Left to Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza.
A quote from her. “ I said the Lord's Prayer hundreds of times, hoping to forgive the killers who were murdering all around me. It was no use-every time I got to the part asking God to "forgive those who trespass against us," my mouth went dry. I couldn't say the words because I didn't truly embrace the feeling behind them. My inability to forgive caused me even greater pain than the anguish I felt in being separated from my family, and it was worse than the physical torment of being constantly hunted”.
Now my situation is not even in the same league as the author of this book, which is based on the Rwanda Holocaust, but the concept is the same.
I imagine a world where we live not blaming each other for the things that go wrong, being quick to forgive rather than judge and we do everything we can to show love and compassion towards one another.
Who would have thought that a simple minor car accident would have sent me into deep thought!
Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It’s a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity.
So, I get out of the car at the same time the young lady who hit me did, just in time to bring her down off the ledge! She was super upset and apologizing non-stop! I had two choices here, I could be upset and frustrated with her, or I could give her a break and show a little compassion to what just happened. She clearly wasn’t paying attention, or she was texting or something else, but me getting upset with her was not going to do any good at this point. She calmed down a little and we moved the vehicles to a safer spot and the police showed up.
I am not going to bore you with the details so I will get to my point. So many times in life, we witness human frailty and brokenness and so many times our reactions to these things are symptoms of our own human frailty and brokenness. Forgiveness has been a big topic for me lately and there are days when I struggle and days when it’s easier. Compassion is something we are all capable of but we don’t often show it. I think sometimes because it opens up the possibility that we too are vulnerable in life and human frailty. We ARE broken and we do NEED forgiveness. It’s the reason we need Jesus and the reason we should always find ways to forgive, even in the darkest of situations. It’s not easy. I am far from perfect, but I’m trying, and I think that’s all I can hope for. If you ever want to read about brokenness and forgiveness and a testament to the peace you can find from a willingness to try to forgive, read the book Left to Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza.
A quote from her. “ I said the Lord's Prayer hundreds of times, hoping to forgive the killers who were murdering all around me. It was no use-every time I got to the part asking God to "forgive those who trespass against us," my mouth went dry. I couldn't say the words because I didn't truly embrace the feeling behind them. My inability to forgive caused me even greater pain than the anguish I felt in being separated from my family, and it was worse than the physical torment of being constantly hunted”.
Now my situation is not even in the same league as the author of this book, which is based on the Rwanda Holocaust, but the concept is the same.
I imagine a world where we live not blaming each other for the things that go wrong, being quick to forgive rather than judge and we do everything we can to show love and compassion towards one another.
Who would have thought that a simple minor car accident would have sent me into deep thought!
Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It’s a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity.
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