Know who’s in your village
It’s a rare individual who hasn’t at some point repeated the sage cliché that “it takes a village to raise a child.” The underpinning of that cliché is that we all contribute to each other’s wellbeing, especially as it pertains to our most critical endeavours such as child rearing.
Rarely has the truthfulness of that concept been more precious than in Humboldt, Sask. over the course of the last eight days. Tragedies of that magnitude simply cannot, nor should they ever be faced alone. It takes a village to grieve and rarely has Canada demonstrated more vividly that we are but one big village. We have expressed condolences to the families who lost loved ones and encouragement to the young men who continue to battle serious injuries. We have shed tears. Heartbreaking, tragic and just plain sad have been terms used with more frequency this week than most of us can ever remember.
We’ve worn green, placed hockey sticks outside, worn jerseys and contributed to an amazing Go Fund Me campaign.
Our hearts have all been incredibly soft toward mothers and fathers and brothers and sisters and teammates who have been dealt such a cruel blow.
We have also reflected on those whose service caused them to carry the burden of this tragedy alone even for a short period of time. We weep with the team chaplain who was minutes behind the bus and came upon the fateful scene in its earliest moments.
We are deeply touched by the picture of Mounties laying a wreath at the scene, and wonder, “Were these the first Mounties dispatched to that tragic location? Young men and women needing to bring order to the chaos of the most unbelievable situation they have ever encountered?”
Imagine the young 911 operator receiving the first call, unable to believe what he or she was being told, or the initial paramedics to arrive on scene. Doctors and nurses, who by their own admission were never trained for anything of this magnitude were suddenly thrust into trauma rooms, feeling the weight of the world on their shoulders.
If ever Canada has needed to be a village, it has been this past week.
But, this is not the first tragedy to invade our lives and it will not be the last. So, it raises the question, “Has this week taught us anything?”
First, it demonstrates vividly that villages are not created in the midst of tragedy. They need to be established prior. It was Jesus who said, “Love your neighbour as yourself.” That is the cornerstone of village building. If the horrible circumstances of this past week have taught us anything, it is to intentionally reach out to and build up our neighbor in every situation.
Second, it has taught us that it is the fleeting nature of life that heightens its preciousness. One of the greatest ironies is that we all live as if we have all the time in the world when we all know we don’t. What fences do you need to mend today? What words do you need to say and to whom?
Third, and I suspect you expect me to say this in a faith column, but I assure you I say it because I believe it to be true, not because it is expected. Circumstances like these show us all that even standing together, some things are beyond us. We need someone bigger than us. We need God. Billboards and posts across our nation have declared to our Humboldt neighbours that they are in our prayers. Sometimes the best we can do is appeal to the one who can do what we cannot.
Build your village today. Build it strong and deep. You never know when you’ll need it.
Tim Schroeder is pastor at Trinity Baptist Church in Kelowna. This column appears Saturdays.