The Weekly Liberal April 11
Read the full issue of this week’s newsletter here: The Weekly Liberal April 11
In this week’s newsletter, Rev. Jen Crow writes:
Our lives are more fractal than we know. The patterns we create in our smallest moments and interactions are mirrored in our bigger moments and our most significant interactions. Who we are in our daily lives cannot and will not be separated from who we are and the choices we make in our larger, communal life. Our world will look like our wildest dreams of possibility only when we live those wildest dreams of possibility in our day to day lives. These are the messages of authors and activists adrienne marie brown and Margaret Wheatley. They are also the lessons that have been taught by prophets for generations, and they are the lessons that my children teach me regularly when they point out the distance between what I say and what I do. Our lives are more fractal than we know.
In this month when we dive into the worship theme of Promise, I’m reminded of the way that our larger promises are kept through our smaller, day to day actions. There are the small but critical moves we make toward connection – or disconnection – with ourselves and others. There are the ways that we receive those bids for connection from our family members or friends or even those who simply seek to make eye contact on the bus. There are the ways we move toward each other in times of crisis and the ways we move away. There are all of the everyday choices that end up creating the whole of our lives.
With these somewhat weighty ideas pressing down on me, I’m reminded of the idea of making small bets and celebrating wins in whatever size they come. What small bets, what small risks can I take today that move me closer to living in alignment with my values? What relationships can I nurture, what stories can I listen to, what small move toward connection can I make? And what can I celebrate? Is it noticing the beauty of the snow right next to the sadness about still more winter? Is it gratitude for the quick connection of a text message or the joy of an unexpected lunch with someone I love? Is it hot tea on a cold day or the joy I feel when our church moves even more fully into alignment with our racial justice goals?
What small bet are you making today, and what can you celebrate – trusting that each seemingly small action creates the patterns and builds the life, and the world, we dream about?
In gratitude,
Rev. Jen
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