🩹Mend: Love in a Fractured World

Love labors alongside us as we do the good that is ours to do.

I’m writing this from terminal 3 of the Chicago O’Hare airport, less than 24 hours after the horrific plane accident in D.C. Airports are usually my favorite place to people watch (writers are always eavesdropping!), but the mood among every terminal and waiting area has just been…somber. I watch two pilots, arms crossed over their chests, stand in front of the large glass windows, whispering to each other. I see a pregnant mom resting her toddler over her baby bump, scrolling the news, and fighting tears.

Our world's labor pains seem compounding and never-ending. Headline after headline, creation groans.

It's easy to feel like anything we do or say is simply a drop in the ocean. When everything feels a little too much, we must remember that the good we do in the world has ripple effects beyond what we can see.

We are not the world's saviors, but we move toward the One who invites us into the work and who labors alongside us. Christ came into a world fraught with the very same issues of injustice and inequality that we face, and he did not turn away.

Instead, he showed us a way forward: engaged action rooted in compassion.

Does It Really Matter?

We may think, “I'm just one person. What can I do?” Yet, as followers of Christ, we’re invited to consider a different question, one rooted in hope and action: “What is mine to do?”

This week, I’m holding onto this simple truth: I can’t do it all, but I can do something that matters.

When approached by various community members—each grappling with their role in a society marked by inequality and injustice—John the Baptist gives practical advice that spans centuries. To the crowds, he says, “Share what you have.” To the tax collectors, he says, “Take no more than your due.” To the soldiers, he says, “Do no harm in pursuit of personal gain.” Each instruction differs, yet the core message is the same: Do the good that is yours to do.

After sharing this wisdom, John shares a second part: He points people toward Jesus. We labor in vain if we rely only on our own strength.

With God’s help, we are able to do the work that is ours to do. 

Repairers of the Breach

John’s directives resonate with the words found in Isaiah 58, where the prophet calls us to be the “repairers of the breach, the restorers of streets to dwell in.”

This passage invites us to bring forth restoration through ordinary actions: feeding the hungry, serving the oppressed, and comforting the afflicted. It’s about the cumulative power of small acts that weave together to create a fabric of communal flourishing.

A popular quote stems from Micah 6:8: “Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.”¹

What is holding you back from taking these words to heart? Consider your unique gifts, perspectives, talents, and resources. How might these uniquely situate you to move into action in your actual, everyday life?

Do the Good that is Yours to Do

In the quiet spaces of our hearts, where God's still, small voice speaks, we are called to discern what is ours to do.

Frederick Buechner articulates this discernment: “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet.”²

What makes you come alive? How does that meet a need? Maybe you can extend hospitality to a lonely neighbor, volunteer at your local school, or do the personal work of healing that prevents the passing on of generational wounds.

We are all called to participate in God’s restorative story—a plan set in motion from the creation of the stars.

The work of our hands and our hearts takes time, but that doesn’t mean our labor is in vain.

Our work might seem small or insignificant, but when we look at the lineage of Christ and the history of God’s people, we see lots of ordinary, flawed people giving their small and shaky “yes” to God.

Could they have fathomed that their lives were part of an extraordinary story where heaven breaks through and alters the course of history?

Labor pains of the world are real and often feel never-ending. But if you’ve ever been in a labor and delivery room, you’ve felt the promise that new life can spring from pain.

Each good work, no matter how small, is a thread in the fabric of God’s ongoing creation story—one where love overcomes, peace prevails, and new life emerges.

Your efforts, though they might seem modest, are part of something bigger.

Remember that.

With God’s help, may our acts of love and works of justice lead to the flourishing of all people.³

Blessing

You are uniquely situated to bring light into the world. May you find courage this season to do the good that is yours to do. It matters. May you see the ripples of your actions expand outward, touching lives and mending the fabric of our shared humanity.

Breath Prayer

INHALE: God of goodness,

EXHALE: Guide the work of my hands.

Borrow this Prayer

Our guest liturgist this week is Common Hymnal. In a time when meanness, bullying, vengeance, racism, and division seem to be getting center stage, this prayer reminds us that when we do the good that is ours to do, we’re working for a better tomorrow for our children.

They’ve also produced a powerful, captivating, brand-new song they created after being asked by The King Center to write something for their annual Be Love event. The song shines a spotlight on Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s message of love.

Thank you, Vincent Charlow and Common Hymnal for inviting us into this prayer and song.

Remind us that You hear us, Lord

As we hear the morning song of the birds

And the vespers of the evening winds

So do the cries of Your people

Reach your ears throughout the day and night

Remind us that You see us, Lord

That just as the darkness is as light to You

There is nowhere in reality where Your loving gaze

Can be blinded from those you chose

And knew before the world came to be

Remind us that You know us, Lord

That you have felt our fears

Shared our tears and know the burden

Of holding tightly to the hope of love

While fighting fiercely the grasp of injustice.

Remind us that You’re with us, Lord

Sealed on the hearts of Your people

Flowing as a mighty river

Through the hands and feet of those

Who seek you and walk in Your way

Our bodies, the temples where Your Presence dwells.

Bind Us Together, Lord

As we seek to Do Justly

Love Mercy and

Walk Humbly with You

In the days to come.

- Vincent Charlow, Common Hymnal

Photo by Jesús Rocha on Unsplash

Reading Plan

I’ve heard you — the dated, guided reading plans for Every Season Sacred and To Light Their Way are returning! I didn’t make one for January because they take quite a while to compile, and I’m a one-woman show, and I didn’t know how many of you were turning to them.

Turns out quite a few of you have appreciated these guides! Thank you for telling me. It’s so meaningful to me that they’ve been meaningful to you. I’m grateful you’ve found them helpful, and I’ll be sending out a February reading plan in the coming week. Thanks for your patience!

(Soooo…if you haven’t grabbed copies of To Light Their Way and Every Season Sacred, now would be a great time to do so! They’re available in hardcover and ebook.)

Year of Breath

Is your soul aching? You’re not alone. I was talking with my spiritual direction cohort, and we shared that we can’t move through the world's pains without spending intentional time with God, listening with hearts and hands open. My hope is that the paid version of Year of Breath helps you do that.

This week, you’ll find daily breath prayers, a new playlist, guided reflection prompts, visio divina, scripture reading, phone wallpaper, and a blessing.

Join the Year of Breath community to create space for hope, justice, and renewal in your everyday life.

Daily Breath Prayers

Breath prayers invite us into the presence of God—no grand gestures required. May this week’s breath prayers remind you that your small actions in your relationships and in your home are part of a bigger story.

Weekly Breath Prayer