As the world’s news swirls around us these days – coronavirus, elections, disappointing behavior on the part of elected members of the government. I continue to see hope, to be hopeful, that compassion is alive and well.
Compassion – Merriam Webster defines it this way – : sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it. Being aware of how our brothers and sisters struggle in our world, and the desire (and also the motivation) to enter into that struggle, on the side of those brothers and sisters. In my heart, this is the business of the church as well as individuals today.
Some distress is easy to see – homelessness in an era when all the politicians are so quick to talk about our ‘great economy’ or the ‘healthy stock market’ is shameful. If my porfolio is growing bigger in this moment in time, is that happening at the expense of the poor and the struggling? The rise of homeless camps in our cities would make me think yes. A church is just a group of people who have gathered together to worship God and do God’s work together. Can we enter into this clear inequity in our society and make a change? I think we must.
Some distress is not so visible. Loneliness, isolation, and despair are making the rounds in our world today. Every week I chat with people who find the world a lonely place. Every week, some person who was ‘doing ok’ dies by suicide. We shake our heads. We despair that we ‘missed it’ when someone despairs so deeply. But I have hope.
It is my hope, that by talking about this deep despair, we will each be on the watch for our brother (or sister)’s deep low points. That we step in, reach out and make a change, sometimes just through conversation, that helps a person in deep despair know that they are not alone.
And so we come to “Dear Evan Hansen”, a musical I have been hoping to see for about 3 years now – it finally came to Portland, Oregon, and my spouse and I bought tickets for our anniversary present to each other. In Dear Evan Hansen, the story is fast paced, and the young people who populate the stage inhabit a fast paced world, where social media is more available than human contact. Evan is struggling. He is in despair. And a fellow classmate dies by suicide. The reactions of Evan and his classmates, and their parents is palpable. In their despair over Connor’s suicide, relationships form that were possible all along, if anyone could have found the time. And Evan speaks impassioned words to anyone who will listen – You will be found.
Have you ever felt forgotten in the middle of nowhere?
Have you ever felt like you could disappear?
Like you could fall, and no one would hear?
Maybe there’s a reason to believe you’ll be okay
‘Cause when you don’t feel strong enough to stand
You can reach, reach out your hand
And I know, they’ll take you home