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As a highly sensitive and deeply empathetic person, I have always had to limit the amount of time I spend watching the news.  Because I feel the pain and suffering of others so acutely, hearing about a world’s worth of suffering in one sitting can be more than I can handle.  Lately I have been hearing from more and more people who are also experiencing this type of emotional overload and finding themselves feeling overwhelmed and run-down by all the hurt and hatred filling the news each day.  Many people are expressing exhaustion, despair, and even paralysis - not knowing what to do or not having the energy available to do much of anything.

First of all, if you are experiencing any of these things, I encourage you to take care of yourself.  Rest.  Take breaks from the news and social media.  Taking a full day off from information overload can really help your mind relax and allow your body to come out of fight/flight/freeze mode.  Do things that bring you joy and connect to God’s created beauty.  Whenever possible, go outside.  And do not hesitate to reach out and ask for help.  Call a trusted friend to talk with, reach out to your pastor (pastorheather@hclchurch.com), or make an appointment with a counselor.  In addition to all of these ways of caring for yourself, I also want to encourage you to focus on three very important words: hope, love, and community.

Legend has it that Martin Luther once responded to the question “What would you do if the world were ending tomorrow” with the response, “plant a tree today.”  While not an authentic Luther quote, for me this response powerfully speaks to Christian HOPE.  As people of faith, we live lives grounded in hope for tomorrow - lives grounded in God’s promise of new life.  So, as an antidote for despair in the face of all the world’s hatred and suffering, I encourage you to find small, everyday ways to act on that faith-filled hope for tomorrow.  Plant a tree, plant mums to bring a smile to someone walking by, plant a seed of kindness by lending a helping hand or a sympathetic ear.  However big or small, these acts of hope are concrete ways of participating in God’s good work towards bringing about a better tomorrow.

And as food for that hope, a way to nurture it and help it grow, ground yourself in LOVE.  To start, refuse to participate in the hateful rhetoric demonizing any person or group.  Instead, shift your focus to love - especially sharing God’s love with those who are hurting.  Call and check in on LGBTQ+ friends and family, sharing your love and support in the face of political fear-mongering and scapegoating.  Make a donation to Lutheran family services refugee resettlement programs or CIRA (Center for Immigrant and Refugee Advancement), honoring God’s call to love and care for the stranger, the refugee, and the foreigner in our midst.  Make cookies for someone who is grieving or lonely - share God’s love through a note, a phone call, or a comforting hug.  No matter how loud it screams, hate is never more powerful than love.  And we each have the power to share God’s love in our lives.

And the last word I encourage you to focus on is COMMUNITY.  If the antidote to despair is hope and the antidote to hatred is love, then the antidote to division is community.  We are so fortunate to have a community full of hope and love here at Holy Cross.  And when the struggles in our lives or in the world feel like too much to bear, we have a church family to lean on - a community of people to support us when we need it most.  If you find yourself feeling worn down or overwhelmed, come and ground yourself in this community of love.  Come to the free concert at 4pm on October 5th, come to the knitting group at 1pm every Friday or Tai Chi at 12:30 pm every Wednesday, come to the congregational picnic and Bonfire on October 19th, or come pack care packages for college students after worship on October 26th.  Come to any or all of those events for fellowship and community or just come worship in community on Sunday morning and be lifted up by the singing of your church family!  And if you are unable to be here in person, join us on Facebook live, call someone on the phone.  Reach out and connect in whatever way you can, because you are not alone.  You are part of this wonderful faith community and together we stand firm in the love of God and the hope of God's life giving promise for tomorrow.