Advice From My Fellow Nerds for Justice
How do we navigate these difficult times? I know some great people who have given some advice that I think is helpful (especially for people who are anxious when they think about the past, present, and/or future). Simply put, their advice is to do some mindful writing about things like:
-WWJD because Jesus can work it out
Why drinking water and lowering sugar intake is so important for people
-pray for courage to resist the us vs them stories in our daily lives
-your journey to find out the answer to the question "wwjd if he were a mentor that prioritized my physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional health?"
-pray for courage to be an upstander as often as possible
-watch Price of Egypt
-make time to actually read the work of Dr. King, especially the letter from a Birmingham Jail and Nonviolence and Racial Justice
-prioritize connection
-remember quotes like "life is not a race" and "you never see a u-haul behind a hurst"
-Accept that it is natural to deal with anxiety when you have a lot of people depending on you to be your best self as much as possible
-strive to be a drum major for love, justice, and truth
-remember that intention and impact can matter
-pet some cats and dogs
-play some board games
-laugh at funny videos
-sing about what you are grateful for
-accept that hurt people hurt
-let people know when they're being a good role model
-resist the temptation of racecraft or race reductionism
-be humble enough to admit that everyone needs ongoing learning about social cues in the era where so much communication happens on social media
-take phrases like "I choose love" very seriously
- get thought partners to collaborate with you when you have some chances to plant some mustard seeds
-be proud when you apologize and actually mean it
-try to smile as much as possible because light really is better than darkness
-be proud when you bring the light and the love because you have received life and love
-have people who you can celebrate situations when you're obedient to Him
-help each other keep the faith that the moral arc is long but it bends towards justice
-set an intention to do a good job being a servant leader in the play we call "society,"
-stretch while you listen to christian music
-begin with the premise that hurt people hurt.
-and learn how to relax after you pray for Jesus to take the wheel
Shout out to people like Izzy Ortiz. They do those things to help us keep the faith even when we are ashamed about how hard it is to be obedient on the front stage and the back stage of life. They make it easy to take a leap of faith when you are scared to let Jesus take the wheel.