Let Justice Roll Down

But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. - Amos 5:24

As many of us prepare to dive in deeply to the work of justice in a country that seems to have gone off the rails, let’s listen in to wise souls who have given themselves to this work. As you reflect on each of these, ask what the Spirit may be saying to you.

Let's not move immediately on to the next fight and resist phase. Let's feel first. The exhaustion. The grief. The worry. The anger. Even the despair. These feelings need not last forever, but neither should they be suppressed or ignored. Take the time you need to process. - Jemar Tisby

Just because you’ve braced yourself for the worst, doesn’t mean it’s any less terrible when it comes. Whatever you thought might come, today is for grief. For sadness, anger. Today is not for shallow platitudes and sentimental pep talks. Nor is it the time to immediately demand more work from Black women and those who have given their bodies and time to attempt to redirect the ship to shore. We have given so much. Tend to the wounds. Rest some. Breathe as deeply as one can in a country that kneels on our throats daily and makes no apologies. - Cole Arthur Riley @Blackliturgies

The interviewer asks James Baldwin: “Are you still in despair about the world?” Baldwin replied:

“I never have been in despair about the world. I’ve been enraged by it. I don’t think I’m in despair. I can’t afford despair. I can’t tell my nephew, my niece. You can’t tell the children there’s no hope.”