We must not lose the ability to be Shaken

Tuesday 21, 2014

    This evening I was able to participate in a memorial service for the 43 students who disappeared in the State of Guerrero,  Mexico. A group of students who were protesting against the local government and the corruption suddenly disappeared. It has outraged Mexico. Mexico has struggled with the drug cartels and government corruption and thousands have died because of it. But this time, young adults, 18-25 were abducted by both the gov. and drug cartels. 43 youth, gone. The population is not foolish, there is little or no hope for their survival, but the reason for their disappearance and the justice for this despicable crime is demanded. Protestors had lit the mayors office and government building on fire.

   The ceremony was not a form of aggressive protest, but in a sense a protest of awakening. Pictures of the missing students were put on the ground with candles lit around them. There was a mic and speaker for the students to share their thoughts on the issue and the state Mexico is in in general. There were sentiments of grief, anger, hopelessness.....

but, there were also words of hope, brother/sisterhood, awakening, and somewhere deep down, at the center of those words, a peace. Not a peace that everything will be ok necessarily, but a peace you find in your grief and pain, the peace you find when you are fully present and allow everything in.

I found myself at the mic sharing my own feelings.

   A girl reminded us that The chaos in Mexico and in the world is becoming normal. Violence is just apart of life. We are becoming numb to the things that should shock, shake, and amaze us.

"We must not fall into the dangerous state of not being able to be astounded by the atrocities of our day. We cannot change if we cannot care"

    There was a breeze that kept blowing out the candles. I remember saying a prayer, asking God to hold the wind, just for the ceremony. During the sharing of testimonies I and a few others would frantically go around relighting the candles. One girl remarked,

"There will always be people willing to help, to change things. Like these candles, you might think 'the wind is going to keep blowing, why do you keep trying to keep the candles lit?'  but there will always be those willing to keep lighting the candles despite the wind, they will just keep on lighting them."

I then realized, God did keep the candles lit, He used us to keep them lit despite the wind.

    Many times when you drop on your knees in desperation for and answer to a prayer, when you beg and throw your prayer to the sky with all your might expecting and answer to come back with the equal amount of force, it descends upon you, like rain, not strong, but enveloping.