What questions am I asking of myself? Have I permitted my assumptions and opinions about history and current events to close my mind, and harden my heart?

Advice to a Seasoned Citizen

Surely not I, Lord?

Oh yeah, Baby: YOU!

Five years ago, Doug asked a question in the wake of the Baltimore riot over the death of Freddie Gray in police custody.   It’s worth repeating:

. . . I see my nation struggle with kinds of confusion, sin and corruption I never could have imagined in high school. I ask myself, “Am I a player or contestant in the struggle? Do I join the contest or watch from the sidelines?” Contestant or Onlooker? (The Vigilant Angler)

Our nation is similarly convulsed; righteous and responsible protesting is oft overshadowed by mayhem and murder.  The point we need to remember – how four policemen subdued a suspect – is fragmented by politics, violence, and opportunism.

But, how does an old lady seasoned citizen become a contestant in these times?

What can I do?

Look in the mirror; ignore the hair, and ask that woman: what have I done to make my life better, or the lives of those around me? What plan do I have to make this a better planet?  (The Officer Tatum )

What do I see when I look in the mirror?

Ouch . . . that is NOT the question I have been asking her!

Then a fellow blogger, Martha Grimm Brady, posed a question worth asking: Are we walking in the light, or being blinded by the dark?

I don’t think she meant the light of the TV or computer screen.

An Answer

Our church has had open prayer meetings through out the week, according to the county guidelines. Attending them has been transforming and reforming.  I have come to a better understanding of what our sixteenth President said:

“I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had no where else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day.”― Abraham Lincoln

How can I contend – at my age?

Before I assume, ask . . .

Before I ask, pray . . .

[Then] we imitate him—carefully, humbly. We speak with him and others, and then we speak out. Say Something

Thanks for reading — You might like  Hokey. But Oh So Helpful.