Ditto! I underestimated the depth of indifference to poor character, sexism, racism, and white solidarity in our nation.
Certainly we have our champions among our white brothers and sisters, but obviously the majority have decided to reject a competent black woman in favor of a white man who is a liar, criminal, abuse of women, and insurrectionist .
Thank you for making space for us all to lament. The need is real. Psalm 43 — My soul is downcast for what seems to be the DNA of the USA. Grieving for my homeland and for the world. Grieving for Ukraine and Gaza. Lamenting hope that seems lost even when I know my hope is in God and not in humanity.
Ugh. Yes. We haven't only let down the people in the United States, there are people globally who will suffer the effects. The Psalms are a good place to dwell right now.
I am grieving with you the nightmare we know find ourselves in. I' meditating on Psalm 1 today as well: You are one who delights in the law of the Lord; you are blessed, dear Jemar.
1 Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
4 Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
Today (and honestly the next few days) need to be a reset and readjust period. I'm going to stop, look out over the new landscape I didn't expect to see, and plan. My hope and relief right now is that it's only four more years and then he can sink back into irrelevance like before. If we can get through this term, we never have to deal with him again.
I deliberately kept this week clear of too many obligations because, no matter the result, I knew I'd need space. Unfortunately, I think the dismantling of democracy that Trump and his minions are planning will long outlast the next term.
My daily script reading from Amazon Alexa was Jesus words on John:
John 14:25-28, These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Also read Psalms with the admonition "do not fret.
Psalm 37:1, Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
7. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. 8, Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret—it only causes harm.
Thank you for these words. It was a restless night for me, and my despair at the news this morning felt almost too much to bear.
Your words are wise (as always!). We need to process and feel and grieve. But we will not give up. This nation will not go down without a relentless fight from those of us who KNOW we can be better than this. We ARE better than this. God have mercy on us (even though we don’t deserve it). Keep writing Jemar. We need your words now more than ever.
With tears in my eyes as I write this, I thank God for you Jemar and everyone in this community. What godly wisdom you give all of us about taking the time to grieve and lament and rest in Him and with beloveds who share our grief. We weep today with those who weep, for people not only in this country, especially the most vulnerable, but for those around the world who were pulling for us to open our eyes and come into Light & Truth.
My sadness is deepened when I think about the global impact of this election. Thank you for reminding me of the verse that says to "weep with those who weep."
This morning, I woke up to the distressing news that Donald Trump had been reelected as president. I don't know about you but for me that is a tough pill for me to swallow; to think that this country would elect a moral reject, narcissist, racist, convicted felon to another four years in office was mind blowing and depressing. As Mia Angelou would say, when people show you who they are, believe them. Al Sharpton I think said it best, racism and white male gender dominance are still alive and well in this country. Luckily, I did something positive this morning, "Flash Dads" at Lincoln elementary, to take my mind off of this scenario for a couple of hours. Thanks for helping me navigate this day with your message.
Thank you for fighting the fight. You have been faithful. Thanks for giving us all permission to sit in our sadness and disappointment for as long as it takes. Thank you, Jesus for sitting with us in our grief.
I feel despair, sadness, and fear. I have been called by God to serve immigrants, and I don’t know what that will look like with the coming presidency. But I do know that God cares about the vulnerable in this world, widows, orphans, the poor, and immigrants. And He has more power - real Power - than any earthly leader. So, in this I rest and trust.
Dr Tisby, your words, your social media posts, your podcasts have meant a great deal to me and your work has been and will continue to be very important, perhaps now more than ever. BUT, rest, brother. You have fought the good fight. May God bless you with peace and rest.
Thank you for the kind words, Paula. I grieve with you about how much more uncertain the work you're doing will become. Glad you're part of it, though.
Thank you for every ounce of your effort and wisdom. I sit in sorrow with you. You are deeply appreciated.
Thanks for your transparency, Jemar. Words that I needed to hear today. ❤️
It's hard being so vulnerable, but I think we all need the permission to grieve right now. Thanks for reading.
Grateful for you kind words, Laurie.
This morning I am weeping. I thought our country was better than this. I appreciate your voice and your words.
Oh, how deeply I wished for a different outcome. I refuse to relent in my hope, but this day is difficult.
Ditto! I underestimated the depth of indifference to poor character, sexism, racism, and white solidarity in our nation.
Certainly we have our champions among our white brothers and sisters, but obviously the majority have decided to reject a competent black woman in favor of a white man who is a liar, criminal, abuse of women, and insurrectionist .
Twice and good (or more!) to get half as much (or less!).
Thank you for making space for us all to lament. The need is real. Psalm 43 — My soul is downcast for what seems to be the DNA of the USA. Grieving for my homeland and for the world. Grieving for Ukraine and Gaza. Lamenting hope that seems lost even when I know my hope is in God and not in humanity.
Ugh. Yes. We haven't only let down the people in the United States, there are people globally who will suffer the effects. The Psalms are a good place to dwell right now.
Thank you. It is an honor and privilege to work with you. And a gift to be friends.
Diana, your words are a balm. Thankful for The Cottage and even more so for your tenderness of heart and incisive words. Grateful for you, my friend.
I am grieving with you the nightmare we know find ourselves in. I' meditating on Psalm 1 today as well: You are one who delights in the law of the Lord; you are blessed, dear Jemar.
1 Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
4 Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
One of my favorite Psalms, and a needed reminded. Thank you, Julie.
Today (and honestly the next few days) need to be a reset and readjust period. I'm going to stop, look out over the new landscape I didn't expect to see, and plan. My hope and relief right now is that it's only four more years and then he can sink back into irrelevance like before. If we can get through this term, we never have to deal with him again.
I deliberately kept this week clear of too many obligations because, no matter the result, I knew I'd need space. Unfortunately, I think the dismantling of democracy that Trump and his minions are planning will long outlast the next term.
My daily script reading from Amazon Alexa was Jesus words on John:
John 14:25-28, These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Also read Psalms with the admonition "do not fret.
Psalm 37:1, Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
7. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. 8, Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret—it only causes harm.
A good and apt word for today. Thank you for sharing, Bryan.
Feeling disbelief, numbness. But also gratitude for you. Thank you for taking time and energy to speak words of care into our lives.
I'm glad you're here, Ann. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for these words. It was a restless night for me, and my despair at the news this morning felt almost too much to bear.
Your words are wise (as always!). We need to process and feel and grieve. But we will not give up. This nation will not go down without a relentless fight from those of us who KNOW we can be better than this. We ARE better than this. God have mercy on us (even though we don’t deserve it). Keep writing Jemar. We need your words now more than ever.
Nothing can stop a people who won't quit. Thank you, Kristen.
With tears in my eyes as I write this, I thank God for you Jemar and everyone in this community. What godly wisdom you give all of us about taking the time to grieve and lament and rest in Him and with beloveds who share our grief. We weep today with those who weep, for people not only in this country, especially the most vulnerable, but for those around the world who were pulling for us to open our eyes and come into Light & Truth.
My sadness is deepened when I think about the global impact of this election. Thank you for reminding me of the verse that says to "weep with those who weep."
Thank you, Jemar. I truly believe anything done in Love is never truly lost. And you have done so much. Thank you, thank you.
Wise words, Jenna. I, too, believe that doing right is virtuous for its own sake--whether we "win" or not.
This morning, I woke up to the distressing news that Donald Trump had been reelected as president. I don't know about you but for me that is a tough pill for me to swallow; to think that this country would elect a moral reject, narcissist, racist, convicted felon to another four years in office was mind blowing and depressing. As Mia Angelou would say, when people show you who they are, believe them. Al Sharpton I think said it best, racism and white male gender dominance are still alive and well in this country. Luckily, I did something positive this morning, "Flash Dads" at Lincoln elementary, to take my mind off of this scenario for a couple of hours. Thanks for helping me navigate this day with your message.
Yes. Racism. Sexism. Both at play in a toxic mixture. Glad you got to spend time with children. It is for them we labor and struggle.
Grieving with you what could have been with Harris and what lielkely now will be with Trump
Yes. We know what this man is about. Only this time he and his minions are organized and experienced.
Thank you for fighting the fight. You have been faithful. Thanks for giving us all permission to sit in our sadness and disappointment for as long as it takes. Thank you, Jesus for sitting with us in our grief.
Yes. Grief is always heavy, but it helps to share the burden with others. Glad you're here, Ruth.
I feel despair, sadness, and fear. I have been called by God to serve immigrants, and I don’t know what that will look like with the coming presidency. But I do know that God cares about the vulnerable in this world, widows, orphans, the poor, and immigrants. And He has more power - real Power - than any earthly leader. So, in this I rest and trust.
Dr Tisby, your words, your social media posts, your podcasts have meant a great deal to me and your work has been and will continue to be very important, perhaps now more than ever. BUT, rest, brother. You have fought the good fight. May God bless you with peace and rest.
Thank you for the kind words, Paula. I grieve with you about how much more uncertain the work you're doing will become. Glad you're part of it, though.