Foggy mornings always feel peaceful. Somehow, the world seems muted. And immersing myself in it today was balm for the soul. Mist on my face, the crunch of gravel under my feet (yes, my ankle is healing), hands in my pockets for warmth.
Any of us who are able to go about our "normal" routines this morning are incredibly lucky. As the people in Ukraine know (and in many other places around the world), nothing is guaranteed. You can go to bed expecting tomorrow to be the same, and end up running for your life, or standing and fighting for your life in ways that should be long past in our history.
Our prayers for peace are urgently needed, but our prayers must be matched by action. I preached last Sunday that if we pray for peace but do not nurture peace in our own lives in ways big and small, we are not really getting the point of prayer. As long as there is hatred in human hearts, war will be the inevitable end of our conflicts. The path to peace is to align our own wills with the will of the One who creates and loves this beautiful world and every single person in it. When we love as God (or however you name the divine) loves, we cannot help but act in loving ways in the world. And every heart filled with love is one less heart filled with hate.
So by all means, pray. But also act. Be kind. Ask what love would do in any given situation. And if you are lucky enough to have the means, offer tangible support to those who are suffering right now. Sending money is not something we do to keep ourselves aloof from suffering; sending money to organizations already working in crisis areas is often the most effective thing we can do, because it helps them do more of what they are already doing.
I have contributed to World Central Kitchen (wck.org) and other organizations supporting Ukrainians, both refugees and those on the front lines. My Ukrainian friends also recommend supporting Razom Emergency Response (razomforukraine.org) or the United Ukrainian American Relief Committee (uuarc.org). The Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, and other organizations are on the ground and can always use support.
We are not powerless, even in the face of great evil. May you find peace in your heart today, and may you act in ways that bring that peace to a world desperate for it.