What would Love do? | Minister in Motion | Woodmen Edition | gazette.com - Colorado Springs Gazette

Each January I come up with a theme, a mantra, an intention to guide me in the year to come.

My theme for 2020 was “Why not? Why not be bold? Why not take risks?” When I came up with the idea of doing a “car camino,” traveling around the country and sleeping in my (newly-donated) mini-van, preaching via Zoom from different locations to my congregation in the Springs, I thought, “Why not?” And now that’s a thing.

Over the past few months, I’ve traveled over 12,000 miles, through 24 states and Washington, D.C. I’ve preached at Jefferson Square Park in Louisville, Kentucky where I was joined by Tamika Palmer, Breonna Taylor’s mom, who shared a few words with my congregation via Zoom, and in Black Lives Matter Plaza outside the White House the day after the presidential election was called for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. All because I asked, “Why not?” Never underestimate the power of your words to shape your future.

This year my theme is: “What would Love do?” In every decision I face, both personally and politically, I will ask: “What would Love do?” I can think of no better mantra for 2021. In fact, I believe that Love is the only antidote to the divisive rhetoric that has poisoned our nation.

I would venture to say that 2020 left few of us unscathed: the pandemic, the political discord, the insurrection attempt; as one meme said, turns out that living through one historic event after another is exhausting. Through it all there’s been so much disinformation spread regarding the efficacy of masks, the vaccine, the election results and so on.

And now with 2020 still visible in our rear-view mirror, the new year has also gotten off to a tumultuous start. I find myself wondering, where do we go from here? How do we begin to heal the wounds inflicted during this not so civil war, this assault on human decency and the eroding of trust in our democracy? In some regards it feels like we’ve emerged from a free-for-all of name-calling and worse, and none of us are blameless. I feel as if I’ve been on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride at Disneyland, having caromed all the way to hell and back. I don’t know about you, but I am exhausted.

This is why I think my mantra for 2021 is so urgently needed. What would Love do? What would love do in the face of a pandemic? What would love do when someone cuts me off on I-25? What would love do in dealing with the aftermath of a contentious election? What would love do when passing a person on the street asking for change? What would Love actually do?

This is not some sappy greeting card sentiment; it’s the hardest thing I’ve undertaken.

Already in the still new year, I’ve missed the turn off to the high road of love several times; I’ve taken the short cut of pettiness and have gone down the dead end road of schadenfreude with memes and Facebook posts. I’ve gotten hopelessly lost in the weeds of self-righteousness. Fortunately, I have 11 more months to so deeply live into this practice that it will become part of my spiritual DNA. I’m not guaranteeing that even then I will have this practice down pat, but here’s one thing I do know: each day, I have the opportunity to renew my covenant to Love. Every moment is an opportunity to be Love embodied. Love doesn’t ask us to be perfect, after all, it just asks us to try.

Rev. Dr. Nori J. Rost is a minister at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church in Colorado Springs. Contact her with questions and ideas for her column at revrost@aol.com.

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What would Love do? | Minister in Motion | Woodmen Edition | gazette.com - Colorado Springs Gazette
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