From “Worth Fighting For: Finding Courage and Compassion When Cruelty Is Trending” by John Pavlovitz
Recently, I asked my social media followers what gives them hope right now. A myriad of reasonable and predictable replies came back: children, grandchildren, spouses, partners, meaningful work, food, sex, laughter, music – and dogs (lots and lots of dogs). There was an unsettling pattern to many of the responses, too. Despite every breakdown of our election processes, legislative safeguards, and constitutional protections over the past few years, and despite being perpetually let down and betrayed by elected officials and church leaders and federal judges – far too many people are still inexplicably waiting for saviors and superheroes to save them.
“I have faith that God will make things right.”
“I believe that Love wins.”
“I trust that goodness will persevere.”
The prevailing wisdom still seems to be that Love and God and “someone out there” are going to save the day. I wish it were that simple. I wish it was that cheap and clean a proposition: offer up some skyward prayers or make a public floodlight appeal to the heavens and wait for inevitable rescue. That’s not how this is going to work.
No, contrary to the T-shirts and memes, Love will not win on its own simply because. Courageous people armed with love, fully participating in the political process and relentlessly engaging the broken systems around them will win. Wherever the disparate, sprawling army of empathetic human beings spend themselves on behalf of other people, when they keep going despite being exhausted, when they refuse to tire of doing the right thing, when they will not be shamed into silence – then love will be winning. Love isn’t some mysterious force outside of our grasp and beyond our efforts that exists apart from us. It is the tangible cause-and-effect of giving a damn about our families, neighbors, strangers, and exercising that impulse in measurable ways. Love isn’t real until it moves from aspiration to incarnation.