No Fires are Stronger than You
*Picture of a student’s encouraging note to victims of the L.A. fires
Last week in Spiritual Nurture we spent time reflecting on the impact of the Los Angeles fires. Students shared how they had either been directly impacted or had family members and friends experiencing losses. Then we turned our attention to the students of St Mark’s and St Matthew’s Episcopal Schools. I explained that these students go to schools just like ours. Yet, due to the fires, they have lost their classrooms—including school supplies like our GodlyPlay stories and all their school work. They have lost their community spaces like our chapel. And they haven’t been able to go to school everyday to see their teachers and friends. They’ve lost both physical things and intangible things like a sense of belonging, important relationships, and routines.
We talked about the importance of empathy (which one student defined as "walking in someone else’s shoes”) and I asked how the students of St Mark’s and St Matthew’s might be feeling. I got answers like sad, scared, angry, lonely, and hopeless. In response, we brainstormed what these students might like to hear during this hard time that could bring them encouragement. They then made cards with colorful drawings and hope-filled messages that we will be sending to our sister schools in L.A.
Looking through our students’ cards brought me hope. I saw pictures of fire engines bringing water to burning schools. Rain falling. People together and smiling. Rainbows. And I read messages like:
No fires are stronger than you are!
You are so brave
You can get through this
Remember that God loves you
You are never alone
Grow through what you go through
Some of our older students wrote, “We are praying for you and hope these letters bring joy back into your life. We just want you to know that we wish you love and hope that you can make it through this;” “I hope that your time of sorrow will be uplifted by the light of God to shine all over you;” and “If you look around you will find people that care about you and want to help. I’ve seen many people from my town donate books, clothes, stuffed animals, and many other things. I will donate too.”
I was so moved to witness our students’ hearts—young people who care, coming alongside their peers who are hurting, even if they don’t know them personally. While life can be unpredictable, painful, and in times like these, traumatic, we are all in it together. From pre-kindergarten to seventh grade to old age we are all part of one body in Christ, and if one member suffers we all suffer together (1 Corinthians 12:12-31). As members of Christ’s body we also get to bring Christ’s presence more fully into the world through things like our words of encouragement, prayers, donations, and empathy. Catching glimpses of Christ at work in the world through our own student body is what is giving me hope.