Melting Ice

On Restoring the Image of God...

In a world bombarded by full court press lies that seek to strip away the mystery of creation, creatures, and God, our footsteps wander in perplexity, confusion, despair fueled HATE. Obstacles as big as mountains appear too big to climb, obscured by fog.

A virus called “HATE” fueled by deception anestecizing us from awakening to self-awareness can hold us captive in places of fear, paralysis, isolation, sin.

One way I can tell that I am falling victim to this sickness worse than death occurs when I seek to strip away the mystery of someone else’s being. This happens when I refuse to listen to the life-shaping stories of persons with whom I passionately disagree.

If we could discover the personal childhood stories and teenage adventures of the adults we have written off as less than human, would the hatred freezing pain spreading ice-cycles within us melt? Would we dare to put ourselves in the place of those whose ways we despise? Would we learn ways to expose, uncover, disarm, and invite those with whom we passionately disagree to consider more worldviews than the carefully constructed egos, masks, and fortresses that give illusions of protection, cocooning vulnerable childhood wounds?

While pointing out the lies around us and the dysfunction of those oppressing us proves valuable, we must do more! Our actions of non-violence and refusal to take part in the bullying practices of those we call “enemy” speak with deep clarity.

We will dare to embody our best selves and invite others to do the same. Hatred turns into righteous indignation; we show the world mercy and kindness, and we refuse to place others into categories called “winners” and “losers.” We dare to let go of the harmful practice of blaming the other political party for all the world’s problems, and we base our identity’s upon the good news: even though often we don’t act like it, all of us find our true selves when we claim to be children of one Father, one God, one Spirit of love who binds us together to do more than sing “Kumbaya, *Come by here, my Lord!”

Daring to envision and embody practices of hope, we nurture the formation of beloved communities who dare to look for and nurture the image of God in one another. We dare to come together across differences and examine underlying causes that lead to injustice and oppression. We learn that caring for the “least of these” really shows the world examples of wholeness, holiness, and Christlikeness. The sense of facing siege from powers greater than us, stinging us with overwhelming paralysis, lessens, and we find the courage to become instruments of God’s agape on earth.

We find authentic ways to emulate the eighteen Buddhist monks who continue journeying along a 2,300-mile “Walk for Peace” across the United States, traveling from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C.. The 120-day pilgrimage began on October 26, 2025, and focuses on promoting national healing, mindfulness, and compassion.

Like the monks who wear no shoes and the horrific pain that scars their wounded feet, we will not allow the suffering of the earth to defeat us. We will not allow persons who choose to be less than human by treating others as less than human to rule us. Why?

Acts of loving kindness rising from the grassroots communities that permeate this “land that was made for you and me” melt all ice caused by hatred, remove all masks caused by fear, and flood the land with non-violence in place of retribution; hope in place of fear, unity in place of division, empathy in place of projection.

When we dare to come together, face our pain, look at underlying issues that form ice, we invite the Creator and Redeemer of all to shine the light and melt the ice.