Standing Together in Unjust TimesSample

Recognizing our Interconnectedness

I would guess that any major changes in our perspectives are almost always precipitated by a life-altering experience. At times like these, when our interconnectedness as human beings is most apparent, I think back to the words that I wrote in I See You: How Love Opens Our Eyes to Invisible People regarding how we are all like parts of a garment, having been woven together:

When a thread starts to unravel in a piece of clothing, the entire garment is threatened because the thread does not stand alone. The thread, although apparently isolated, is connected to the entire fabric. The owner of the piece of clothing would be foolish to say, "Allow the thread to suffer because it’s caused its own hardship." No, the owner would say, "let me care for the thread because it hurts that entire piece of clothing."

If we consider God to be the designer of this garment and the sustainer of life, then we also believe that he regards every thread just as valuable as the next. If we were to think of ourselves as common threads, we’d perhaps recognize our own importance in supporting the threads around us that are beginning to unravel. Scripture tells us to express our love for each other through action (1 John 3:16-18).

So then what would it look like to create a life that allowed you the time to reset, to connect with others, and, as Micah advises us, “to act justly and to love mercy / and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8 NIV)? I encourage you to stop everything you are doing and write down the things you know you need to let go of. No matter how you decide to serve, your intentionality in deciding to use your gifts and leveraging the gifts of others will matter a great deal when you take your step . . . to take a stand.

When you consider yourself as being a thread in the fabric of a larger garment, connected to others’ threads, how does it affect the way in which you see others within the community?

What are some of the things that have pulled you away from what God has placed on your heart or from being involved in the community like you truly desire? Choose one thing that you’d like to let go of and set a date to do so.

What is the number one thing that you’d like to start doing?

Adapted from When We Stand: The Power of Seeking Justice Together. Copyright ©2021 by Terence Brandon Lester. Used by permission. For more information, please visit https://ivpress.com/when-we-stand.  

We hope this plan from Terence Lester and Rebecca Davie encouraged you. Learn more about Terence Lester at http://terencelester.org, and visit LoveBeyondWalls.org at https://www.lovebeyondwalls.org for ideas on helping members of your community and beyond.