by Wendy Morical
Rev. Danielle Rogers recently asked us to consider living our faith “publicly and unapologetically,” to flex our faith and act on it boldly. In Danielle's post, she wrote of our Christian faith serving as a “moral compass” guiding us to behave in ways that align with the teachings of Jesus.
In his book Love is the Way, Bishop Michael Curry uses a similar analogy, calling love “God’s GPS.” According to Curry, “Love tells you how to direct the energy of outrageous faith.”
This past week, the Bozeman community lost a beloved school principal, Craig Kitto. According to those close to him, Mr. Kitto was a man of deep faith. Of course, working in a public school didn’t allow him to speak directly about the central role Christian teachings played in his life, but he acted that faith daily, boldly, unapologetically. Teachers at Whittier School report how he met the busses every day with smiles, kind words, and hugs for the students. He told misbehaving children, after discussing their behavior infractions, that he loved them and believed in them. The whole school bore witness to his outrageous acts of Christian love.
As a teacher, I was gifted with a new batch of students every year. Every child entrusted to my care was valuable to me and, as the year went on, I genuinely grew to love each one. Year after year. Friends would challenge my assertion that I cared deeply for all of my students, pointing out – rightly! – that some kids behave like jerks. Those were the students who found their way most deeply into my heart, however, because they were the ones who required the most of me: my time, thought and care.
The sanctity of my work came to me slowly, as I noticed the endless capacity for care in other members of my profession and as I connected the dots between the work I did and the faith I professed. In a Chronicle article Lana Kitto said about her husband, “He had no judgment. Craig just saw the kid, the soul.” I have worked with many, many individuals who shared that perspective. We didn’t talk about our church membership or our personal righteousness, but we looked for and saw the face of God in every child. We tried not to impose our judgment on individuals, but instead trusted that they were valued and loved members of the human family, imbued with the divine spirit of God.
Some might say it is unique to the domain of working with children that we see them as people who are as yet unspoiled and therefore easier to love. In response, I would have to wonder: At what point do they imagine God that would give up on a person and extract the divine human essence, the soul that Mr. Kitto found in every student? I’d like us to consider that this view of our fellow humans can be cultivated and practiced, in an effort to truly see all of those with whom we share this life. If we set out into the bigger world with our Christian moral compass, using the GPS of God’s love, we confirm the miraculous reality: God is in every person.
During the pandemic, we have all come to recognize the necessity of human contact, even that of the most basic sort. Many encounters may be tinged with stress or anxiety due to our private concerns, yet a kind and receptive outlook — honoring the holy in the server, cashier, receptionist, or neighbor — begets kindness and offers another the joy of being seen. This practice serves us by creating a feedback loop of affirming and being affirmed; of praising God and receiving God.
I am from Wisconsin and grew up taking winter seriously. One of my pet peeves is unshoveled sidewalks, especially ones that I have to maneuver during my weekly trudge to the MSU campus where I now work. Walking back to my car recently, I approached a young man applying himself vigorously to the task of clearing his sidewalk on South 10th. Even though he was a full-grown person, I lapsed into teacher talk: “You’re awesome! Thank you for shoveling your walk.” He raised his head from the task and gave me a beatific smile. I was suffused with joy.
Reflecting back to the image of flexing our faith that Danielle shared with us, I share these words of Bishop Curry:
The way of love will show us the right thing to do, every single time. It is moral and spiritual grounding – and a place of rest—amid the chaos that is often part of life. It’s how we stay decent in indecent times. Loving is not always easy, but like with muscles, we get stronger both with repetition and as the burden gets heavier. And it works.
— Wendy Morical serves as Moderator for Pilgrim Church