If Only We Could See the Light

What we want to be (and what we wish for our world) often eludes us. The apostle Paul said "I do not do the good I want to do" (Rom 7). Even saints weren't perfect. Sometimes the standard that Christ sets for us seems impossibly high - loving our enemies? That's not going to come soon to any of us. That weighed on my mind as I considered the results of a recent American election. The level of rage and fear seemed to reach new heights: immigrants were disparaged, concern for the environment dismissed, civility derided and hope for peace disdained. Yet within us there is still a longing to do better and to make a better world. Some of the lyrics of this song were written on a ferry trip from Nanaimo to Vancouver B.C. As we emerged from a thick mist, we found ourselves surrounded by awesome mountain peaks that seemed to call to us to leave our self-centred fog and pay attention to the rest of our world. At the end of the day, we still have to live with each other and work together if we are to address the many problems we face. That will require a new way of looking at our world - one which sees the world as being on loan to us and in our care; and views our neighbours not as enemies but like ourselves, made in the image of God.