STOP TALKING… START LISTENING Saturday, March 26
Jeremiah 30:17: But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the Lord, ‘because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares.’ In January 2020, Roger and I attended our son’s wedding in Telluride where we enjoyed meeting people from around the world. A week later I (along with several members of the wedding party) fell seriously ill and had every symptom of this new disease that was emerging in our own country. Testing was non-existent, but there was no doubt it was COVID! That began a two-year journey of falling into despair and confusion. We have all undoubtedly suffered from the effects of the pandemic. Our societal response was puzzling. I wondered “Why are we so frightened?” Why do we find ourselves insisting “I’m right and you’re wrong?” Two years later, we’re still talking about COVID in almost every conversation we have, and rarely agreeing with each other. By mid-2021, I was exhausted from the constant sense of loneliness, judgment, resentment, and angst spawned by feeling out of step with the majority. Many friends and family held differing opinions and seemed intolerant of my opinion. I complained about how judgmental people had become, yet I was judging them for judging me. Slowly, God revealed to me that my perception of “being judged” was to a certain extent selfimposed. It was time to find a way out of self-destruction. “Lord, help me to see clearly past my own pain so I might ease others’ pain.” The prayer was not instantly answered (drat!), but a newto-me truth emerged: We are finite beings in an infinite universe governed by an infinite God whose answers come in God’s time and in God’s way. I’ve come to understand it’s not about COVID … it’s about our response to COVID. It’s our choice. These days, I simply say, “Let’s stop TALKING about this!” “Let’s stop talking about which remedy is the right one…which vaccine is correct…which protocol should be followed.” How about listening to one another? How about hearing the fear, anxiety, discouragement in others’ stories? How about taking away the power of fear and despair that permeates our society and replacing it with the more powerful love that heals all things? God is restoring my love and respect for others. God is teaching me that my grumpy attitude might cause additional fear rather than comfort. God reminds me to be an instrument of peace, not angst. COVID is here to stay, but it doesn’t have to be the center of our conversation. Let’s just talk about how we can choose to love and choose to hope. Lord, help us to talk less and listen more so that we can choose love and hope in our relationships with one another. Amen Sue Zen
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