Finding the Light

Mar 15, 2022

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” – John 1:5

As we practice living the value of COMPASSION, our hearts break for those who are struggling, those who suffer, and those who experience injustice. We can often feel helpless in the face of such circumstances, but author John Roedol’s poem reminds us that we can still be the light.

“In the face of war I’m so small. Yet love is big.”

I can’t make the

world be peaceful

I can’t stall tanks

from roaring down roads

I can’t prevent children

from having to hide in bunkers

I can’t convince the news to

stop turning war into a video game

I can’t silence the sound of bombs

tearing neighborhoods apart

I can’t turn a guided missile

into a bouquet of flowers

I can’t make a warmonger

have an ounce of empathy

I can’t convince ambassadors

to quit playing truth or dare

I can’t deflect a sniper’s bullet

from turning a wife into a widow

I can’t stave off a country being

reduced to ash and rubble

I can’t do any of that

the only thing I can do

is love the next person I encounter

without any conditions or strings

to love my neighbor

so fearlessly that

it starts a ripple

that stretches from

one horizon to the next

I can’t force peace

on the world

but I can become a force

of peace in the world

because

sometimes all it takes

is a single lit candle

in the darkness

to start a movement

“Lord, make me a candle

of comfort in this world

let me burn with peace”

~ john roedel

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