By Rev. Danielle Rogers
I often imagine myself at the helm of a rickety ship, as it crashes against rough waters while Jesus sits soundly at the stern. I imagine how I would have reacted and find myself identifying with the disciples in Mark 4:35-41. Just like them, I feel I would have awakened Jesus in extreme distress and asked him if he cared if I were to drown on the open sea. I see myself in their desperation and questioning of God’s protection. Even now, as I sit firmly in the fortieth plus decade of my life, I fall back on that story and ask God, “Are you here? Will you let us drown?”
Nowadays, I don’t ask God this question on an individual level but as a societal question. Every day there seems to be another catastrophe, a taking of life through war or gunfire, the questioning over our bodily rights, or senseless violence through words and actions that hurt deeply and leave the most optimistic people puzzled and in quiet contemplation. I watch and see our society split further into factions, as discussions become heated or worse, non-existent.
For the last several years, our news media has stated our country is in the thrust of a culture war. As our society becomes more progressive, a challenge to once firmly held beliefs that are disintegrating around us, and for many who cling to the old guard, they are desperate to hold onto a changing nation that is more diverse, less religious and more educated then ever before.
I often use the metaphor of childbirth to describe this situation. America is in a constant state of childbirth, and the process is long and painful. The bough of our nation is quickly strained, and the old mantle is falling apart just like an old limb on a worn out tree. For many, this analogy of a never ending childbirth may seem depressing, and you are not wrong. For with great change there often is an element of pain, sadness and grief, yet in the midst of a new life, a new future hangs overhead.
I can not predict what will become of our future, but I do know God’s grace and love is with us sitting at the helm of the ship, and laying gently on the ground as padding for a tired old bough. Just like the disciples, while I may show fear, I still hold a firm belief in the eternal goodness of a God who profoundly loves us. Through that love, we as a society are tasked with sharing and teaching that love to one another, even through the midst of a culture war or the continuous birthing of America.