Several days ago I was listening to an NPR show about Amanda Ewing recognized as the first Black woman luthier in the U.S.  It is a bittersweet title as she recollected for the listeners how violins and fiddles have been part of slave history for centuries and yet no written account of this information exists. She noted that other Black and brown violin makers, though male, came before her but they could only sell their instruments if the buyers thought the maker was white.

She shared how rather than using dark wood she makes her violins out of light wood to be evocative of sunlight to bring a feeling of light to the instrument, “It’s golden sunshine,” she says. “I wanted it to feel like sunshine so when you look at it you feel good about your whole entire life.”

Sid and I were en route to play music at a local home and garden show which overlapped part of its timing to be opposite the “No Kings” protest being held several blocks away. Some of our group were to participate in both events. As the show played on our radio, rain fell on the car windshield.

Just as the light wood of the beautifully crafted violin, the folksy tunes of our group that day brought light to the hurting hearts of protesters. Just as the drops of rain fell on our windshield, surely our Abba must be shedding heavenly tears to see what is happening to His created universe during these days of struggle.

Whether governed by Trump, Netanyahu, Khamenei, Putin, or others, we are all as slaves if we allow our well being to be emotionally battered about by their decisions and to fall victim to our own wrongful reactions. Unless we hide under a rock, it’s almost impossible to avoid being swept into the vortex of craziness and go down the multitude of bunny trails of darkness. Even worse it’s even harder to avoid the angst and pain we feel at news of the suffering of so many innocents.

Yet we have choices, over our thoughts and prayers. So we must pray for our world leaders. We must pray for the victims, and the perpetrators. We must pray for ourselves and for those around us. We must join in community in prayer for there is so much power in doing so.

As crazy as it sounds when it seems that so much is headed in the opposite direction, we must pray for peace. Only God knows what the path will be to get there, and it may get worse before it gets better, but ultimately only peace will bring an end to these interim days of strife and suffering. What will it take for us to recognize our limitations, our true powerlessness without Him?

Although we’re not the leaders nor the decision makers, we do have the ability to pray. We also have the assurance that no matter what is decided by human leaders, no matter what happens, God’s got this and He’s got us. He will never leave us. These are the times for us to redouble our efforts to not be swayed from the path of goodness and light, to not allow our own egos and opinions to take us from the path of following the Prince of Peace. This challenge includes our private thoughts as well as our interactions with others.

So there may be days where He must be crying. Yet there are days of joy that will come. Our job is to stay dedicated to doing all we can, as Amanda Ewing does, to bring light to this world, for goodness will prevail in the end.

Shabbat shalom.

Diane