How do we begin to heal our nation’s brokenness? Cheryl Bistayi ponders what might happen if we worked together to find solutions rather than shouting at the problems.

CHERYL BISTAYI
Allendale: Valley UMC

Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford.

One a Democrat. One a Republican.

The Democrat beat out the Republican.

And still, they became best of friends.

So much so that when the Republican died, the Democrat spoke at his funeral.

How I miss that kind of balance that comes with open minds and open hearts. It leaves room for listening and learning from each other. It allows for the possibility of more than one right answer. It invites others into the process of discernment to come together for what is best for the common good. It speaks of strength that sends the vital message that, even in our differences, we are strong.

That is an important message to send, especially now. We worry about national security and keeping ourselves “safe.” But, just as a couple or family or any unit that appears broken is vulnerable to outside forces, so is a nation that is broken vulnerable to those forces.

How delighted our enemies must be to see that we are broken. That, indeed, we are our own worst enemies.

There is a lot of shouting back and forth with each other now, loud and clear for all the world to see and hear.

I have personally never seen anything become stronger by shouting at the brokenness. When a tire goes flat, those persons in the car who get out and stand and shout at the tire and each other keep the tire flat, and everyone is stranded. And they become targets themselves for whoever comes upon them!

Strength comes when someone realizes that working together to find a fix is the only way home, and often, in the fixing, we find friendship.

The kind that says what’s more important than the brokenness is the fixing. More important than the flat tire is the air that fills it. More important than me is we . . . is us.

After all, it is US who will make or break the US of A!

Last Updated on June 29, 2023