Read the full issue of this week’s newsletter here: The Weekly Liberal Oct. 15

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In this week’s issue, Rev. Justin Schroder writes:

It’s been years since I’ve read the comic section of the newspaper. But for the past month or so, I’ve been regularly stopping there. I don’t know if it’s a combination of distracting myself from the real news, or if it’s because I trust that comedians, comic writers, tricksters, and jokesters offer – through humor – an honest and hilarious look at our real condition. Often, comics allow the painful truth to land in a new way. 

This morning, the comic strip “Pearls Before Swine” featured Rat and Pig climbing a hilltop to visit the “Wise a** on the hill” (a donkey). When they arrive, Pig asks, “Oh, wise a** on the hill, tell us all…when will things get better?” And the wise a** responds: “When you decide they get better.” Pig asks, “What does that mean?” And the wise a** responds: “That you can’t control events, but you can control your reaction to those events.” At the bottom of the hill, Pig turns to Rat and says, “I was hoping he’d just say Tuesday.” 

This is the predicament we find ourselves in. When will things get better? After the election? In the new year? Next spring, after we’ve made it through the winter? Next summer, when a vaccine may or may not be widely available, and the pandemic over, or not? When will things get better? 

I wish there was a concrete, technical answer to this question. But this is a question of the spirit, of paying attention, of opening the heart to what is, and noticing how we are reacting and responding and taking things in. Beneath the question, are these questions: “Even in the anxiety and grief, is there room for gratitude? Even as winter approaches, do we notice moments of joy and delight? Even as we struggle, can we notice where we are making it through, step by step, day by day?”

I wish we had a simple answer to the question: “When will things get better?” But there is no simple answer. Our spiritual practices, our leaning into (mostly virtual) community and connection, our honest truth telling about what we are experiencing right now – these are the tools that will bring us into the next moment, and the next; and in each moment, we can notice what has shifted and changed. We can notice what is better, what is harder, and then, with a breath, move to the next moment. 

These are challenging times. Be gentle and loving with yourself. Reach out for support. We are here for you, and for one another. 

With love and care,
Rev. Justin