Hope is Where We’re Starting From

By Justin McRoberts • Aug 19th, 2008 • Category: Artists in Residence

The speaker’s intention was to communicate something of the importance of Love. He showed a short video taken in one of Mother Theresa’s care homes in which a loving sister calms a dying child by soothing him with her hands. The child is obviously underfed and near death. His body was in spasm; his hands turned inward, his toes curled, his eyes unable to focus… It was a horrifying image. The sister cradled his head and used her other hand to caress his chest, his back, his head… slowly… slowly.. the spasm passed… his eyes locked on the sisters face and he gazed upward… connection… stillness.

The video faded to black and the speaker moved to the edge of the stage to solidify his point. “She loved that child,” he whispered. “Her touch was filled with love. She brought him peace. She changed his life,” he said “That child would never be the same.”

But you and I both know that child will spasm again; maybe in the next few hours or even minutes. We also know that the spasm/seizure is only symptomatic of deeper, more complex issue than his need for human touch: The fact that his body has not received proper nutrition; that his lack of nutrition is tied to his poverty which is, in turn, linked to his being born into a system and situation wrought with corruption and fault leaving thousands upon thousands of children in similar conditions.

In light of the functional reality of the boy’s condition, the Christian message, particularly as it relates to a definition of Love, is offended at the notion that his life had been “changed” in any substantial way by this kind sister’s actions simply because they quelled his symptoms for a moment. Love, in answer to the complexity and impossibility of darkness and death, is marked by a commitment to what J.R.R. Tolkien called the “Long Defeat.” It is a phrase used by Galadriel in one of the Lord of The Rings novels to describe the position the elves found themselves in their battle against the many manifestations of darkness/evil (of which Sauron was only the latest). They gave themselves to the cause of Good despite the practical impossibility of their fight.

The song “Hope Is Where We’re Starting From” on my most recent record was written with the “Long Defeat” in mind. My intention with the song is to fortify, in myself, the knowledge that I must give my life to the impossible work of healing, redeeming and reconciling the world, not because I think it is doable or profitable or achievable but because I cannot do anything else. I give myself to this work because this is, or at least is becoming, who I am. The Market would have me evaluate this ‘investment’ to determine if my efforts will lead to anything. The Kingdom reminds me that the Market is upside down… I do not start from the sure knowledge of my effort’s effectiveness; instead, hope is where we’re starting from.

The Christian commitment to Love is a not a commitment to a life of token efforts that perpetually bear the fruit of life and joy. It is the giving of one’s whole self to an impossible work with nothing but a hope and promise that it will mean something. It is returning over and over to that child’s bedside, cradling his head again and caressing his frail chest until the spasms cease once more.. then returning again… and again… and again.

Compassion International’s commitment to development is a picture of the Long Defeat. Compassion has rescued near 1 million children from the trap of poverty. Meanwhile, five times that many children die annually from preventable, hunger-related causes. Love is not ignorant of the statistics, but neither is she paralyzed by them. Aquinas writes that “Love is pure action”; action without a motivation towards result; action that is defined by it’s own character rather than the scale of its success. The Market would have us only invest where we can reap a return. Love would have us give ourselves because it is who we are.

↓ One comment

#1 Zach Younkin on August 19th, 2008 at 9:04 pm

Hello,

Compassion is an amazing organization.

Do you sponsor a child with Compassion?

I just started sponsoring a child.

You can find my story at http://childsponsorship.wordpress.com .

Also, be sure to check Compassion’s website at http://compassion.com .

Would you be willing to add a widget to your site to draw attention to Compassion every day?

If so, you can learn more by visiting http://www.compassion.com/share/freestuff/compassion-widgets.htm .

Thanks for your post and commitment to getting children out of poverty!!

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