Ollie Jarvis, Pastoral Assistant to The Church Lab
Central to the work we do at The Church Lab is creating and maintaining bridges. Importantly, we focus on the bridges that cross difference. In light of our current national circumstances, with the pandemic, social justice challenge, and national strife, I would like to offer some thoughts on creating and maintaining connections to ourselves and to others: the foundation for all other bridge-building.
We are living in unprecedented times. So many things, in so many realms, seem like they aren’t going to be alright. For many of us, grief, loneliness, and stress walk alongside daily. For others, these things hide - jumping out to surprise us just when we thought we had them tackled. Sometimes it can feel as though something has broken. Myself? I often feel as though I’ve shifted into a lower gear; I’m chugging along, trying to imagine an ‘other side’ at which I, and we, will eventually arrive. I try to imagine what it will look like, just as I simultaneously walk through my sometimes boring, sometimes lonely, sometimes stressful days.
One thing is certain. As much as we feel as though we are alone, we are, in fact, never alone. I look out of my apartment window at the complex across the street, and I know that there are individual people in each of those apartments, walking through their days just like me. I keep my friends, family members, acquaintances in my thoughts constantly. I have candles burning for those I know are actively suffering. I often try to imagine reaching out my empathetic tendrils, hoping they penetrate the walls and the distance that separate me from my fellow human beings. Hoping that they feel my care; hoping they experience the bridge.
We all reside in mystery. That mystery shelters and carries us all the time. But it is especially important to remember this fact during difficult and scary moments. Each of us has a unique contribution to offer, even from where we sit, seemingly alone. We must insist to ourselves and to the world that we know it will be okay. We must each intentionally expand our energetic boundaries to imagine a world of survival and love. We must say yes to miracles; we must say yes to joy, to wholeness, to beauty. We must say yes to love. We must consciously imagine and build the ‘other side’ we hope to emerge into.
Here are some things I’m doing to stay present and build joyful bridges:
I taught myself to can! Prickly pear jelly has been my favorite so far. Although I must admit the lemon curd from the instant pot was also very delicious. Not only does canning take hours, but those little jars of yummy can be left on doorsteps.
I’ve been working jigsaw puzzles and sewing. I’m trading puzzles with friends, and sewing and gifting small projects.
I’m using video calls in new ways: I attend a church halfway across the country; my mom and I hang out together every Sunday for a couple of hours; my bedridden friend watches me cook desserts and bake bread in my kitchen.
I’ve worked on my family tree. It’s helped me remember that I’m part of a larger story.
I’ve been writing snail mail way, way more. I didn’t remember how nice it is to open the mailbox to a personal greeting.
I go outside every day to be in the sun for at least a few minutes, if not a nice walk around the block. I'm grateful for the smiles when I encounter my neighbors.
You, just like I, can reach out your tendrils, can hold hope for those suffering, can actively create joy and hope, both for yourself, for those around you, and for the larger world. You are loved; you are unique. You have a purpose and the mystery will eternally hold you as you manifest it.
Blessings and love as we enter a new year.