trenches

I have been thinking a lot lately. I tend to do that. Nasty habit. And, not one I am likely to stop any time soon. I have been thinking about living and loving and development and pursuing God and how all those things intersect.

And, as I was reading a textbook for my master's class, I came across a quote by Audre Lorde. She said, "Unless one lives and loves in the trenches it is difficult to remember that the way against dehumanization is ceaseless."

In the trenches. These are the places that living and loving really happen. And, these trenches are everywhere. They are in the aftermath of natural disasters. They are in the rubble of wars that have lasted decades. They are in the tears of a lonely teenage girl. They are in the cries of abandoned babies. They are in the vacant stare of the unsatisfied CEO. They are in the search for meaning by the professional quarterback. They are in the glue-sniffing homeless man who wanders my neighborhood. They are in the slums just down the road from my home. They are in the low-income housing in your city. They are in communities, schools, offices, and even our churches. They are likely even in our own hearts.

In times of war, trenches are dug as a hiding place. But, they are also a fighting place. They are the place we are able to escape our enemies, regroup (hopefully with our comrades), and battle on. So, I challenge you to dive into the trenches. It is where life and love and war all collide. And, take heart because Immanuel, God is with us.