A Word for the Day...Beginning Again
An (Almost) Daily Meditation from Rev. Cameron Trimble
"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed."
(2 Corinthians 4:8-9)
• • •
In 2016, the first election of Donald Trump shook many of us to the core. It revealed, perhaps more clearly than ever before, the dark currents of racism, misogyny, and division flowing just beneath the surface of our nation. Those years were filled with heartbreak, with days that felt like the ground was shifting beneath our feet, with the weight of knowing that the country we called home was capable of aligning with messages of hate, exclusion, and violence.
On the day after that election, I began writing "Piloting Faith: An (Almost) Daily Meditation."
And here we are, again. Another election. Another wave of despair, fear, and grief. It feels almost unbearable to face this reality a second time. But as we gather here, I want to remind you of something that perhaps you’ve known all along: we are not alone in this. We are bound together by our love, by our yearning for justice, and by our determination to keep going.
This space—Piloting Faith—was created for exactly this purpose: to support each other through the storms, to find strength in one another, and to be a force of love in a world that desperately needs it. You and I enter into reflection, contemplation and dialogue about how we are living faithfully in these days and who we choose to be.
For now, we must allow ourselves to feel this heartbreak. As Leon Wieseltier writes in Kaddish,
There are circumstances that must shatter you;
And if you are not shattered, then you have not understood your circumstances.
In such circumstances, it is a failure for your heart not to break.
And it is pointless to put up a fight, for a fight will blind you to the opportunity that has been presented by your misfortune.
Do you wish to persevere pridefully in the old life?
Of course you do: the old life was a good life.
But it is no longer available to you. It has been carried away, irreversibly.
So there is only one thing to be done.
Transformation must be met with transformation.
Where there was the old life, let there be the new life.
Do not persevere.
Dignify the shock.
Sink, so as to rise.
We are in one of those moments where the old life has been carried away. The illusion of harmony, of easy resolutions, of avoiding the hard truths about our country—these have been shattered. It is only by dignifying this heartbreak, by allowing ourselves to be broken open by it, that we can begin to rise anew.
So let us sink, not into despair, but into the depths of our compassion and our commitment to walking the way of Love. Let us be present to this pain, not to wallow, but to transform it. We have a purpose in these times, and that purpose is to be a steady light, a voice of kindness, a presence of courage. We now transform this heartbreak into fuel for justice, for change, for love. We are to be a living testament that even in the face of hatred and division, love is stronger, deeper, and more enduring.
As we begin our meditation practice again, remember that we are here to support each other. We are here to lift each other when the weight feels too heavy, to remind each other of the good that is possible, and to be the steady presence of love that this world so urgently needs. Together, we will navigate this difficult terrain, grounded in the faith that transformation can emerge from the darkest of days.
See you tomorrow.
We are in this together,
Cameron