Lent 2021: A Story to Live BySample

Unwavering

I belong to the indigenous Guna people of Panama. Our Gunadule grandmothers teach that ‘living well’ is ‘living well in community.’ So, when I think of God’s goodness, I can’t forget that when God blesses us, he does so in community. 

Each of our actions impacts the lives of others. Life connects us like a web, and whether or not we like it, destruction connects us as well. The good God intends for us is constantly threatened by lifestyles of individualism and consumerism. 

As a Christian Gunadule woman, I mourn the suffering of my indigenous brothers and sisters under the direct threat of a global climate emergency affecting their crops and food. I see them putting their lives at risk to defend the forests, waters, and residents of our ancestral lands.

These realities tear at my heart, because the injustice we cause to God’s creation is an injustice we commit against God and ourselves. 

Prayer:

We ask you, Jesus, to forgive us for the times when our actions damaged your creation and its inhabitants, including indigenous communities. Give us greater awareness to understand the realities and struggles faced by indigenous peoples around the world. May our actions allow us to participate in your reconciling work. Amen.

Author: Jocabed Solano 

Jocabed is part of Tearfund’s network of Young Theologians and is passionate about justice.