Your P.S. has me reflecting and thinking deeply. It is a gift for you to share your experience with us, and I appreciate you keeping the conversation going.

The section, “Hey, hey you. I’m still here. You’re still mine. All this is mine. Keep your eyes on me”, spoke to me.

I also appreciate you naming the reality of “safety nets” that are often present and invisible and yet from a position of privilege. I will keep holding this and wrestle with it with you. Thank you.

In your last paragraph, I found myself nodding along in resonance – I have been known to take issue (loudly) with the “#blessed” mentality that seems so pervasive in affluent white Christian spheres because even in those white affluent spaces, it tends to send the message that if somebody is experiencing hardship then it’s a failure that reflects on them not having enough faith or not following God well enough. I appreciate your holding up to the light the systems and safety nets that historically have benefitted white people the most, taking care not to attribute your sense of security solely to your trust in God.

I noticed that you turned quickly in the middle of your piece to naming the ways that this helped you see your belovedness, which felt like the clear message to me – that your trust and hope is in God calling you as beloved and on the reminders of “what really matters” as you named. The image that comes to me, from this, is not one of God necessarily pulling you out of hardship or providing those safety nets you so aptly named as a part of the very human systems from which you benefit, but rather of God coming alongside you and walking with you in whatever may come. I wonder what it feels like to rest in that image in light of your reflection?

Thank you for sparking this conversation!