and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
I know where I was on 9/11/2001. I bet you do too. My husband, Gary Hoenshell, and I were getting ready for work in Flagstaff, Arizona, and the Today show was on the TV in the background. We stopped getting ready and focused on the TV for what seemed like hours. Then we went to work. I was the Sexual Assault Educator at Northern Arizona University, and I had an important committee meeting that day. We had it anyway, mostly because I thought we ought to be together, in solidarity. I had been a seminarian (part time) for about a year at that point, and I remember thinking “I ought to know what to say to people – from a God perspective” But I didn’t really know.
Since then, as I’ve served in pastoral arenas for 15 years, its become clearer to me. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted …
We are all fragile beings. The driver who cuts you off in traffic is likely as wounded as the young person who cries through your church services. Tenderhearted. Everybody has a story. We are all wounded. We are touched by grief – all of us – and we choose to get up and be on the lookout for hope every day.
I love the happy, joyful, rejoicing days in my life as a follower of Christ. And, I have learned to embrace the days when grief is a close companion.
Be tenderhearted today, my friend. It’s a day for it –
Pastor Patricia+