Image Description: Tree roots criss-cross visibly near a still body of water.
This week, I’m creating blog post reflections based on Psalm 23.
Part 2:
“He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters.”
There is more water than we can see.
When we think of water, we think of what comes through pipes and taps. And we think about the bodies of water we’ve seen — streams, creeks, ponds, lakes, rivers, and oceans. But a whole lot of water exists underground and outside of our view. There’s a whole lot of water traveling through intricate root systems, allowing trees to share resources of nutrients together.
There are also more resources than we can see.
In a time like this, we can expand our recognition that we all have particular needs, and we all have unique skills and resources we can provide. We need to turn both of these toward one another.
This week, I am seeing people give money to complete strangers online. I am seeing people call the governor in my state fervently to demand that water shutoffs end in Detroit and other areas of the state. (If you are quarantined without water, how do you sustain yourself? How do you wash your hands and faces?) I am seeing mutual aid networks popping up all over the country to support service workers whose places of employment are now closed. I am seeing houses of worship delivering groceries and medications to their neighbors.
We all have particular needs.
We all have unique skills and resources we can provide.
We can put these more in view. We can turn both toward one another.
Let them be seen and shared.
Smuggling Grace 