That's the Way We Are

"Don't give up on your faith,
Love comes to those who believe it
And that's the way it is!"

Céline Dion - "That's The Way It Is"

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Dear Kate,

Belief makes and breaks us, drives society and grinds it to a halt.

By "belief," I don't mean empirical truths, lab results, which do not energize life without the catalyst that is our interpretation and participation.

I mean stories that we put our trust in.  Some call it a "faith system," a stage with mise en scène and characters, ourselves being one.

People around the world are going to remember this pandemic very differently.  I talked about how the sun is our solace in Vancouver (for yet another week at least).  But look up the weather across even just Canada now, we could see very different pictures.  And then there is, has always been, wars and climate devastation in the life of many on this same planet.  We will all have our own stories about COVID-19 to tell the generations to come, and they will in turn re-tradition the tall tales under the light of their own sun (or the lack of one).

There are many gifting and receiving in time of crisis, more calls to action everyday, more offerings on the table for the ones in need (and who isn't?).

Say there is this belief in us that it's all grace, now and ever, now more than ever, and what difference, you say, would this belief make to our gifting and receiving?

Imagine too, we can believe instead that someone owes us something, that someone being the government, our friends, those sharing our same street, God mostly.  What would this belief do to us when we are lining up at the food bank, trickling into Costco, waiting on the phone for someone to resolve our trouble with an online order?  And how about when we are giving out the cans at a food bank, trying to maintain the order of a line-up, assisting someone not exceptionally grateful on the phone?

Look at the faith statements in today's quote.  What do they say?  How do they shape a person, a culture, a civilization, if we are to live by them as our Belief?

The first line says, really, "Have faith in your faith."  Keep trusting in what you are trusting in.  It doesn't ask you to question your trust or what your trust is consisted of.  The suggestion is there's virtue in keep believing in your belief, no matter what.  It sounds awfully like some modern Christian songs that are, like, awful.

The second line proclaims the promise/blessing (or curse) for those who can (or can't) 
subscribe to this Belief.  So if you are not in on this, have doubt about this, you will be loveless, abandoned, thrown out of the bandwagon.  Heaven or hell, that's what the gospel tract says.

Then finally, in case you are missing the point, and since the songwriter has one more line to fill and needs a catchy title to sell the song, let's sing in unison: That's the way it is, no other games in town, and amen!

There are many reasons to jump off a building if one is to live by this.  Even when the sun is always shining.

Yours, Alex