-Isaiah 11:6
“Our kids”. I hear that. I say it. While we spend a lot of
time forming individual relationships with these children, we must simultaneously think of them
collectively. My wife and I have one child. Some of the adults who participate
in and contribute to our community have more. Still, there are those with grown
children who are living their own lives. But they are all our children; the
children of Deep Roots. Some live at Clairvaux Farm. Others have lived here.
And the rest, the majority of “our children”, live out there in the community,
on the periphery, with stability as a luxury and not a guarantee. They don’t
belong to us anymore than any person can be the property of another. But we
care for them. We know them. We love them. We believe in who they are and who
they can be.
This way of thinking, this inclusive construct, is a
selfless surrender to God’s plan of love and fellowship. It is a global way of
thinking. We plan beyond the members of our households and see something bigger
for these young people. We see their future and we hope that Deep Roots can be
at the core of their lives; a people and a place to belong, especially when
they feel broken. This is right. This is beautiful. Together we are
facilitating and building a community. It is a lot. And it is not near enough.
The media and their subjects are presenting a very bleak
outlook these days. And, while we can make our own news with the inspiring
accomplishments of our children, it would be unwise to have our heads in the
sand. In our world and our country there are many children who have little or
nothing to eat. Some children serve as slaves. Some might as well be as they
try to help their families make ends meet in areas where labor laws are
non-existent or not enforced. Poverty is
a burden to so many. Finally, there is the violence. In places like Honduras
and El Salvador, murder is so endemic that tens of thousands of children risk
their lives and embark on dangerous journeys to make it to the US, often to
find a parent or a relative who made it here first. Many don’t make it. Too
many don’t survive. In Syria, families are flooding out of the country to
escape indiscriminate mass slaughters by misinformed and misdirected
extremists. Of course, there are extremist groups within our borders whose most
heinous acts deny families their right to prosper together. And large urban
areas of the US are plagued with gun violence that seems to be surging. The
young people who die in our cities fail to make headlines or are forgotten so
as to make way for the next wave of victims. We shouldn’t forget Newtown,
Columbine or Aurora where young people have been targeted in mass shootings,
mostly by other young people
Of course, we at Deep Roots do not (even collectively)
possess the power to heal the vast, dark horrors and injustices that exist
outside and around us. This healing will happen gradually but it will happen.
It will happen because we know that our saviors are among us. Our young people will save the world; the earth and its
occupants. This time “our” is
literally global. The young people of the world will save the world. And it is
the logical next step with the young people of Deep Roots to go global. When we
spend time with them, we become aware of their hopefulness and generosity. We
must develop opportunities for our young people to interact with others who are
focusing their young energy on urgent issues. We do this when we accompany them
to state parks and nature preserves. We pave the way for them when we involve
them in our efforts to recycle, garden and prepare healthy home-grown meals.
While young soldiers learn the life of death, it is crucial that we foster a
passion for living and living with other young people from all walks of life. Their
willingness to recognize their differences with respect and enthusiasm will go
a long way in the discovery of their birthright- peace.
It is an exciting time. Like the floral arena that surrounds
the Farm on warmer days, we witness the mass blooming of our young people from
this stage to that: taking their first steps, speaking their first words,
swinging without a push, swishing the basketball through the net, taking off the
training wheels, learning to swim and graduating. None of these things happen
in a vacuum. It’s all about togetherness. These children will be our teachers,
our builders, our lobbyists, our scientists, our farmers and our officers of
the law. They will grasp the humanity of all of God’s children and they will
thrive.
Let’s go along for the ride. All of us. Whatever your
contribution, it matters to this community. Come into the fold and offer your
talents and your time. Last year a wonderful group did mission work making
curtains and people of all ages joined in and enjoyed the community of
creation. Another group carved pumpkins and this week we’ll have girl scouts
baking Christmas cookies with our kids. It’s a big world and we (that means
you) bring the best of it. Bring your children to be with ours, anytime. Bring
your hope and appreciation for the life of seeds and sunshine and share the
gospel of faith and fellowship. We are all thirsty for each other! Join us.
