I appreciated the reflection by John Paul Lederach on reconciliation as the meeting place between truth, mercy, justice and peace. I think too often we approach reconciliation from only one of these angles, rather than seeing the intrinsic connection between them. Someone in the group described it as a dance in how they all flow into one another where we can consider – what is working too much and what is not working enough?
This is a really valuable truth, yet I find myself craving more content / skills / help in how I can actually uphold these core angles to the work of reconciliation. How do I equip my people to do this work of actually mending divides rather than perpetuating them? What does it mean to disarm and transform conflict internally, interpersonally and globally? “Disarming” each of these dimensions is quite complex – what does the ‘disarming’ process entail? It’s easy to talk about and hard to put into practice…
This work seems utterly important as now as ever and also I feel super underequipped / underprepared to meet the moment. I want to be cautious not to seek after a ‘silver bullet’ that may not be there, but I’m wondering if there are some practical tools that I can bring to my people as we are seeking to do this work with Christians across historic divides in Boston? Maybe we are still getting there with this cohort but just wanted to be honest about where I am at right now.
4 comments
Hi Kelly, thanks for your honest reflection. I too relate to feeling unprepared for this moment we live in. I like how Kassandra put it in her comment, “the desire to take action is strong, but the way forward does not yet feel fully formed.” That resonates.
Something else I’ve been wrestling with is a desire to not put my head in the sand and ignore what is happening around me, but also not overreact. I’m honestly not sure what that looks like from moment to moment.
Thank you for your honesty, Kelly. I understand and resonate with your feelings of unpreparedness. I wonder, does it feel less daunting … more doable … to focus your attention on cultivating peace within yourself in this moment?
Thanks Steve, yes working on my own heart postures does feel more manageable and so vitally important, thanks for naming that.
Kelly, yes and amen to finding practical tools! I so agree that the need feels urgent and the desire to take action is strong, but the way forward does not yet feel fully formed.