Shalom

Shalom

The flourishing of one

dependent upon the flourishing of all.

The flourishing of all

dependent upon the flourishing of each one.

I am connected to you

as you are to me

and each other being

and every other thing

and this

this is our story

this is who we are 

who we’re called to be.

New Year is a time of reflection and, for many people, a reimagining of what could be. I recently posted a poem called Shalom. Shalom is God’s vision for the world. God created the world in a state of shalom and will one day restore all of creation to shalom.

Shalom is one of my favourite biblical concepts. Translated as peace, its meaning is rich. It describes the flourishing of any entity of creation being dependent on and contributing to the flourishing of every other entity. The flourishing of relationships within people, between people, between people and God and between God and creation are interconnected and interdependent.

Shalom

Have you heard its whispers

its echoes

as the sun’s rays dance

with the shadows of leaves?

Have you heard the ocean’s pull for that which its current remembers

the wind and its longings

from the direction it once came

stretching forward to the direction it once came

Have you heard the groans

of your own

bellows

from below

the depths of your own

whom you know.

Groans

for something you know

but can not name

can not recall

swims beneath your consciousness

Alienation has wormed its way into every relationship, a hairline fracture at a minimum. The discrepancy between shalom and the reality of the world we live in today is at times excruciating. Prejudice sidelines people from economic opportunities. People have gained power at the expense of others, instead of contributing to their flourishing. A21 says there is forty million people in slavery today. The planet is wincing as a result of long term neglect and harm. The consequences of which are devastating for communities.

But do you hear the whispers, the echoes of Shalom? Do you see the shadows?

We can emulate those whispers, those echoes, those shadows. Every time we care for someone’s practical needs. Every time we recognise that a stranger is of great dignity and worth. Buying extra items for someone in need. Donating and supporting organisations that are restoring people’s rights. Gardening! Attending to our personal inner struggles. These are some of the ways we can participate in the restoration of shalom.

Listen out for those whispers. Those echoes. Look for those shadows. And be one of them.