Deeply Rooted - Final Week Nine

Read: Psalm 1; Hebrews 11-12:3.

Dear Fellow Justice Traveler,

It was Fall 2017 and the grief of injustice had caught up with me. I wasn’t hopeless, but I had lost my joy. It wasn’t the first time that joy had eluded me, however this time I had seen it happening, pushed past the disappointment and simply did what needed to be done for more than a year. It was a season of doing what was right but not feeling right. Carrying the weight of this reality, I asked close friends to pray for me and with me that I would find my joy again. Joy - this generous gift of the Spirit alive in His people regardless of what is happening was possible. I waited with expectation, unwilling to manufacture it. I needed the Spirit to intervene in a significant way.

Injustices big and small are always present and must be met with holy resistance because injustice does not repair itself. The tentacles of injustice and unrighteousness are deep and unable to be reversed with human effort alone. As Christians we are privileged and honored to be invited to join Christ in the good work of His kingdom justice. We are also not alone. We join the faithful cloud of witnesses who have gone before us and collectively work toward justice here on earth like it is in heaven.

We are also not alone. We join the faithful cloud of witnesses who have gone before us and collectively work toward justice here on earth like it is in heaven.

Through Jesus, the Prince of Peace, we are invited to join His redemptive, restorative work, to seek peace and pursue it. In our striving toward this beloved community, the kingdom of God in context, we need to start by choosing to stop violating each other’s dignity and instead work toward forgiveness, healing, and transformation.

After waiting with expectation for my joy to return for more than a year, I had reached a point of desperation. Christmas was about a week away, and I was at the border for a Los Posadas service. While I interacted with migrants on the Mexico side of the border, who held hope and joy so strongly and as I greeted Customs and Border Patrol agents on the US side, passing along Christmas greetings, the long awaited Light of Christ broke through. The Spirit helped me see His joy was there. He also helped me see that I needed to grow deeper roots. My roots, while deep, were not deep enough. The streams of His joy were mine for the taking. I needed to keep growing despite the bleakness. It wasn’t about surviving, it was about strengthening and enduring.

In our shared work of holy resistance, we carry the water just a little further up the hill toward a more proximate justice. Despite the long, exhausting journey that can feel disillusioning at times, with no guaranteed results in our lifetime, there is so much joy to be had. Planted near the waters that sustain us, our roots can deepen and grow. When the winds, cold winters, and drought come we can go deeper, knowing that we will not uproot. We will not be moved.

Prayer:

God of mercy, God of joy, thank you for not calling us to a life of resistance without giving us what we need to endure it. Thank you for giving us Your Spirit whose gifts are present even in the bleakest of times. Thank you for strengthening and sustaining us for the long journey toward justice. And thank you for the legacy of people who stood strong in their faith, who cheer us on as we continue the work. Help us to remain fixed on You so we do not grow weary and lose heart. Amen.

Praying for Strength to Endure.
Selah,

~Michelle

You can read more about Michelle’s journey toward finding her joy and other stories of hope and encouragement for justice seekers in Join the Resistance, Step Into the Good Work of Kingdom Justice. This devotional series was written by Michelle Ferrigno Warren. Excerpts and themes are from Join the Resistance, Chapter 9, Rooted in Joy.