To The Editor:
Over the past four months, my wife and I have observed with great interest Baltimore orioles at a bird feeder outside our kitchen window. What a creature of striking beauty! And yet, unfortunately, we have witnessed through recent televised newscasts a Baltimore that has not been so captivating. This letter is in no way intended to cast judgment or aspersions on any of the events which have taken place, or of the people of that great city, but to speak of what may well be the deeper meaning behind these events and what possibilities exist for us as a nation, namely, reconciliation.
The Holy Scriptures tell us in Proverbs 29:18, “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (KJV). The current challenges that confront us as a nation today open to us all a great opportunity to envision a life of unity, peace, and opportunity. But such a reality never comes easy and we are often blinded to this possibility in the throes of conflict. Reconciliation comes not by way of merely refraining from violence or keeping an emotional distance. It comes through cultivating relationships with the people from whom we have often found ourselves estranged and alienated. Reconciliation is found in leaving our comfort zones as Abram did when answering the call of God to leave his country, his kindred, and his father’s household and going to a land that God would show him. It comes by getting into the world and the lives of our brothers and sisters of other cultures, races, and socioeconomic strata; by hearing their voices, listening to their stories and understanding their struggles, heartaches, hardships, and disappointments. My wife and I have experienced the rich and rewarding blessings of such daily interactions at our small town grocery store, the local post office, restaurants, shared worship services, and yes, even in the homes of others. Reconciliation begins not in grandiose events, but instead where hearts join hearts in simple smiles, joyful laughter, and fruitful conversations. To paraphrase a parable of Jesus, these tiny mustard seeds of love once planted ultimately become a mighty tree of life in which we all can thrive in peace. Such kindnesses and charity, however, are not final destinations but merely stops along the way to a much better place – the proverbial place to which God has called us as a nation. Only through the heartfelt commitment to work and strive for what we all want as a “more perfect union” with all people created equal can we become that which God wills for us and would have us share – true reconciliation.
Paul Gasque
Former Methodist minister
and former SLED agent
437 West Main Street
Latta, SC 29565
