We all have roles to play and we play them at different times in our lives. I began by working in Boston with vulnerable youth, their families and the fragile communities in which they lived. Unknowing at the time, this became a lifelong commitment where I had the good fortune to manifest this commitment in a number of settings –through non-profit organizations and through state and federal policy positions.
Throughout, I was given the gift of new ideas, stirring examples of vision and tenacity via unbelievably committed people in cities and neighborhoods throughout the nation, some in policy positions, some working in local non-profits, some citizen volunteers –people who wouldn’t quit, people who became colleagues, partners, and friends.
Regardless of how or where we serve to shape the world around us, we are all, in some way ordained or commissioned to do so, and thereby, our prayer hopefully unifies us all, for our prayer is the same as we pray for the space for all to breathe.
Lewinsville Faith in Action (LFA), created just after the 2016 election, convinced me that in the grand scheme we all have roles to play, sometimes more than one, and that they are all of equal and vital importance, all impactful and necessary. LFA’s mission is simple and direct:
Informed by faith and fact, LFA, in partnership with others, works for political, social, economic, and environmental policies that are based on justice and compassion.
The following prayer opened our monthly meeting, held on July 20, 2020.
Lord, we yearn to breathe freely:
To take off our masks,
Inhale deeply,
Hug loved ones,
Join our voices in song
And in prayer.
But, Lord, some can hardly breathe at all:
Because of the weight of poverty,
Of discrimination and exclusion,
Of ill-health,
Of living in environmentally toxic areas,
And amidst the obscene availability of guns —
These weights on the necks of the poor,
On the necks of minorities and immigrants in our midst,
Lord, let us not cry for a return
To a past that oppresses,
But to a new present.
Strengthen us, inspire us
To help those who struggle for breath every day.
So that while we have breath,
Help us keep firm our pledge to help others
And this groaning world, breathe free.
Written by Jack Calhoun
Mr. Calhoun is an internationally renowned public speaker and frequent media guest, editorial contributor and author of three books. He is the founder and CEO of Hope Matters. For more than 20 years, Mr. Calhoun was the founding president of the National Crime Prevention Council, prior to which he served under President Carter as the Commissioner of the Administration for Children, Youth and Families. Click on “Contact” to book Mr. Calhoun to speak at your next conference. All speaking topics are available at: www.HopeMatters.org/Speaker
