My hands shook for hours after I watched just the smallest bit of footage from the mass shooting in Las Vegas earlier this week. And I was watching from my home thousands of miles away.
What must it be like for the thousands of people who were there, for their friends and loved ones hearing the news, for the city of Las Vegas?
Whether it’s this most recent tragedy or one closer to our own front door, we belong to each other. But how do we move forward together without losing hope or becoming overwhelmed that we can’t do anything at all?
These are the moments that make up our lives, for better or for worse. Let’s remember that the work of hope is hard, it’s deep, it’s ongoing. But it’s worth fighting for. And we need each other today. One way to discover your next right step is to push away blanket statements and generalities and instead, start to be specific.
Links + Resources From This Episode:
- A Prayer for the People
- A Circle of Quiet by Madeleine L’Engle
- The Phrase I’ve Stopped Saying When I’m Trying to Help Someone by Sandra Peoples
- Heart Wrestling by Shannan Martin
- Here and Now by Henri Nouwen
- Numbers 6:24-26
Jesse says
October 3, 2017 at 10:50 AMI have loved listening to all of your episodes so far, but this one was so beautiful. It provided comfort and direction in a time when I, along with so many, are at a loss of what to do besides pray! Thank you! I downloaded the prayer bc it is so wonderfully put! Thank you for sharing your heart with us.
emily p freeman says
October 3, 2017 at 11:00 AMI’m so glad, Jesse. I was so nervous about this one because it’s all so delicate, so raw and difficult. Grateful for the space to share and for people like you who listen and carry hope.
Daisy Fuentes Dronen says
October 6, 2017 at 8:27 PMPraising the Lord for your courage tonight. Truly an answer to prayer for my wandering heart who was struggling to grieve due to so much heaviness. Thank you again. Praise the Lord that through your words bids us to draw closer to him.
Erica says
October 3, 2017 at 2:02 PMThank you so much for sharing your gift of writing. It was really tangibly helpful for me today. I only recently found your podcast but I’m excited to catch up and follow along.
Stephanie says
October 3, 2017 at 9:30 PMThank you for this, Emily. That Henri Nouwen quote has stuck with me all day, especially as I hear stories from my friends and students who have been impacted by the events. When tragedy is only removed from us by the smallest of threads, it’s so tempting to feel powerless. But we do have power–power in our vocation, power in our prayers, power in our ability to find joy and peace in what we do. I will carry that hope with me for a long time. Thank you!
Rachel says
October 4, 2017 at 3:38 AMThank you Emily.
Mary says
October 6, 2017 at 9:46 AMI love your prayers! They always seem to touch my soul. I wish I could pray like you do. I’m working on that. But until then, I will continue to read them often. Thanks
Melissa says
October 6, 2017 at 9:48 AMThank you Emily! You words feel like a beautiful bud of hope opening up before me. Your voice sounds just like our Father’s voice-soothing and comforting. Thank you for your obedience. Your obedience blesses us and lifts our weary heads to Jesus.
Melissa Labelle
April Boyer says
October 9, 2017 at 9:05 PMI love how you said “hope is hard, deep and ongoing”! It is not a light and fluffy version of faith. I wrote “Hope -the Thing with Feathers” in my last post. But I know that My savior’s wings shelter and protect me; and they are much more substantial than feathers of any variety. and it is worth fighting for! Thanks for your powerful words.
Lauren OC says
October 10, 2017 at 11:53 AMI am totally new to your work. This podcast helped me to cry over the recent tragedies and to more generally lament in a way that I had not allowed myself to do. Thank you.
Lorraine Reep says
October 10, 2017 at 1:30 PMEmily, I’ve loved your words – Simply Tuesday was a breath of fresh air! This morning I listened as I drove into work. Many of my family members and friends are in hard places right now. A friend is deeply grieving her husband’s death two years ago, and your prayer was perfect:
“One day in the future, some may begin to feel like they should be over it by now; they may grow tired of going through the whole thing again, or feel pressure to heal already; for these we pray for the courage to let grief do her sacred, invisible work.”
Your calm voice is a balm, your words are a gift.
Thank you!
Cathy says
October 26, 2017 at 1:58 PMThis was beautiful to listen to. God moved in my heart to reach out to a hurting friend as I processed how to be a “helper”. A few hours later, I read the transcript to remind myself of some of the quotes. Thank you for providing the podcast and transcript. I look forward to listening to more.
Liz says
February 19, 2018 at 3:08 PMEmily-
This podcast was most helpful after the most recent tradegic school shooting in FL. I liked the three specific steps:
1.Look for the helpers
2.Don’t rush the healing
3.Be faithful to your vocation (mine is teaching art)
Thank you- your words speak to my soul,
Liz
Bethany Alioto says
April 17, 2018 at 5:18 PMI know this was shared a while ago, but I was looking back and this one was appropriate for the season I am in now. I lost a professor of mine that I was close with 2 weeks ago. We were on a missions trip overseas where she fell ill, and she eventually passed away while we were back in the states. It took a lot out of me leading the team back to the states, but the hurt didn’t stop and hasn’t. You taught me that my soul and schedule don’t match. I have learned that I need to be gracious to myself. The prayer was especially comforting in this specific time, and I downloaded the prayer because it comforted me for those hard nights.
Amber Berger says
July 6, 2020 at 8:37 PMThis was my favorite podcast of the series so far. Your way with words is truly a gift! In the current time we are living, the wisdom found in this podcast is much needed. Thank you so much for sharing your heart and taking time to serve God in this way.