For that dedicated, regular time away to be respected and honored, we must develop grace-filled, compassionate cultures within our churches that destigmatizes mental health and emphasize self-care for both congregants and clergy.
All my life, I’ve seen my mom set time aside from being a mother, a wife, a teacher, a daughter, a sister, a friend, to spend time with God.
Evil takes a keen interest in each of us—and so does good.
If we are to seriously examine the wars raging inside of us, what would the headlines be? What’s the carnage like? What’s being destroyed, day by day?
I’ve lamented my way through my time at Yale Divinity School, crying out in both pain and gratitude because I am surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses and because my grandparents were not there to see me receive my Master of Divinity. I am becoming more fluent in the language of lament, learning its hollow vowels, complex conjugations, and myriad metaphors. And I thank God that God’s still patiently listening for my voice, even when I don’t really want to talk.