It has been over a month since I’ve written on my blog. I could spend some time blaming a combination of busyness and trying to be present in Honduras, but more important is to actually update a little bit on where I’m at.
Today was my first day back in Grand Rapids since February 2, which means that my semester abroad has officially come to an end. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, it would be a complete waste if I went through my semester without taking time to reflect on where I was spending my time and what I was learning, and unfortunately I haven’t had the time to articulate all of the things here that I’ve been learning. On the one hand, it would be nice to be able to continue writing despite the semester being over, there is still a lot on my mind, and it would be good to share those thoughts. At the same time, I think the place I’m at right now is a lot more like real life. It seems like the day to day life we live doesn’t really leave time for expounding on new thoughts or lessons in a nice composition. Rather, we continually learn, we continually have our eyes opened to new things, and the pages that do get filled describing our thoughts are just a small fraction of the mass.
I think if I had to sum up the last month or so and what I’ve been learning, it would be along these similar lines: the true measure of learning isn’t the thoughts that I can form or the words that I can put on pages, it’s the change that enters my day to day life.
I have been in Grand Rapids for about 20 hours now, and my head is full of a whole lot of knowledge. But if I cannot find a way to put the convictions in my heart into my life, to actually act on what I believe is true, well, that would be even more of a waste. I can explain to people that I learned a whole lot this semester, that poverty is a complex problem, that inequality is both natural and imposed, and that all humanity has an inherent dignity that ought to be upheld, but if there is no change in who I am or how I act, well, you get the point.
So here’s to starting to be the change that you want to see in the world. I’ll keep posting a couple more thoughts, and I’m sure I’ll find a reason to keep stepping on my soapbox, but for now, I need to start seeing what I can do about changing the life that I’m living, of lining my heart up with my feet.
What does that look like? In Honduras, I saw a breathtaking country with beautiful people (something that I think we can see just about anywhere if we remember to open our eyes), but I also saw poverty, suffering, death, and brokenness (also with the opening eyes). I learned how naturally brokenness can enter a place, and how quickly people learn to exploit each other and creation, but I also learned that there is a way to repair, to heal, and to bring dignity where there is brokenness. I saw (and see) people living in extreme excess right alongside their brothers and sisters that go days or weeks without enough.
When I look at Grand Rapids or Baltimore or the World, will I be able to recognize the beauty and the brokenness? Will I recognize injustice where it exists, and (more importantly) will I defend the cause of those facing the injustice? Can I open my eyes to the healing that Christ can bring through me, or the church? Can I recognize and live in a state of enough without settling into excess, waste, or self-gratification? These questions are where the change has to come.
It’s a long journey for sure, and I’m definitely only beginning, which is a very exciting thought.
“God’s reign is already present on our earth in mystery.
When the Lord comes, it will be brought to perfection.
That is the hope that inspires Christians.
We know that every effort to better society,
especially when injustice and sin are so ingrained,
is an effort that God blesses,
that God wants,
that God demands of us.”
-Oscar Romero, March 24, 1980. Spoken minutes before his life was taken.
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