Leaving the Garden to God

I like children, I really do. If I didn't, I wouldn't have spent two summers in high school as a lifeguard at a family apartment complex, or three summers in college as a babysitter. And it doesn't even have to be a paid-gig for me to enjoy spending time with these miniature people; whether volunteering with our church youth group, playing with my nephew, or simply befriending children whom I meet in random everyday situations, I find that the time I spend with children and youth is some of the most fulfilling and blessed time that I have.

So in many ways, I have a pretty good deal working here in Berlin on a daily basis with children and youth. After volunteering here with many of the same children and youth last winter, I returned with the privileged ability to build on the trust, mutual respect, and honesty that I had already fostered in forming many of these relationships. And I love the work that I do, the people with whom I work, and the kids with whom I come into daily contact. But (and many of you likely foreshadowed this 'but'), while the work that my coworkers and I do in simply accompanying children and youth through the daily struggles of schoolwork, disputes and misunderstandings amongst friends, and struggles amidst families is fulfilling work, it can also be stressful and exhausting. Although our entire days are not spent in the company of these children, the four to six hours of the day when we are together are often chaotic and almost always involve struggling to be an attentive listener for one child, while also simultaneously imparting wisdom on multiplication to another child, reading a dictation aloud for a third, untwisting yarn from another child's crocheting project, and entertaining questions as to what 'always' means in German for another.

My work is fulfilling, yes, but also exhausting.

This past week the stress and daily grind of work, the complexities of living in a 'foreign' country, and the simple frustrations over time differences and the inability to pick up a phone and call a friend threatened to overwhelm me. In seeking guidance and a positive method with which to decompress, I turned to my coworkers, my family, and one of my favorite books, The Impossible Will Take a Little While: A Citizen's Guide to Hope in a Time of Fear (edited by Paul Rogat Loab), a collection of hopeful, justice-seeking, and reflective writings by political and religious activists and leaders.

I sought out the chapter entitled, "Standing Up for Children," by Marian Wright Edelman, President and Founder of the Children's Defense Fund, and consumed Edelman's suggestions of how to reorder American priorities for our children's and nation's sake. Although written within an American contextual framework, these reflections have nevertheless been a balm for me as I work to stand up against the injustices faced by children and those working to provide them hope for the future right here in Berlin, while also working to care for myself in the face of this work's accompanying emotional baggage.

In the words of Edelman, we must remember to:

"Believe we can save all of our children and then do it."

"Have faith and act without ceasing."

"Don't be intimidated or silenced by budget experts or political spin masters."

"Be strong and courageous and leave the results to God."

"Trust and serve God and recognize that every single one of us can make a difference."

"Assign ourselves right now to be a voice for justice for children in these scary and turbulent times of war and terrorism and greed and economic uncertainty."

"Never give up."

"Recognize and honor the sacredness of each and every child."

"Organize, mobilize, and hold our leaders accountable."

These words have helped me to recontextualize the important call to action behind the work that we do. While I am called to stand and hold the hands of the children with whom I work and to also hold societal leaders accountable for their actions and value of our children, I must above all have faith that the results of the situation, the results from the grind of any regular day's works, and the results for the future of each of the children and youth with whom we come into contact remain in God's hands.

As Edelman's inclusion of the following quote by Henry David Thoreau instructs:

"Plant the seed of hope and caring and leave the garden to God."