The theme of our RE curriculum for March is “Living Love Through the Practice of Trust.” For me, the practice of trust is particularly hard right now. I’m reminded of one of my favorite country songs, which begins like this:
At a time when the world seems to be spinning hopelessly out of control
There’s deceivers, and believers, and old in-betweeners
That seem to have no place to go
In the face of what seems to be a dawning golden age for con artists, scammers, sowers of misinformation, and opportunists who don’t care about the pain their schemes will cause to the most disadvantaged people in our society, it feels foolish to practice trust. My own instinct is to protect myself through a general policy of mistrust and suspicion.
While there may be a measure of wisdom in holding our trust back from people and institutions that repeatedly display untrustworthiness, it’s also important that we guard against becoming so distrustful and cynical that we can no longer open our hearts to that which is still worthy of our trust. Discerning who and what is trustworthy is a spiritual practice we must engage with our minds, hearts, and souls. It can be an emotionally difficult journey involving some painful trial and error. As the cowboy poet continues to sing:
I looked to the stars, tried all of the bars
And I’ve nearly gone up in smoke
When we place our trust in a religion or political party or community or individual that betrays our trust, the experience is devastating. We may want to protect ourselves by never risking that trust again. But that’s why trust is a spiritual practice — to open up our hearts is to be open to heartbreak, but it is also the prerequisite to finding things like truth, meaning, and love. Trust is required for all those things that really matter the most. As the singer finally finds after those times of pain and heartbreak:
Now my hand’s on the wheel
Of something that’s real
And I feel like I’m going home.
That “something real” is a little different for each of us. Maybe it’s the family you created through love and trust after facing abuse or rejection from your family of origin. Maybe it’s a new spiritual practice that brings you peace and groundedness after going through the pain of religious trauma. Maybe it’s a renewed dedication to seeking justice in community after being failed by political institutions. Whatever it is, you’ll know it when you find it — that thing that is worth trusting in spite of the inherent risk, that thing that makes us feel at home with ourselves even in the midst of a world spinning out of control.
That’s why I’m so happy to be introducing the spiritual practice of trust in our RE lessons this month. Just like piano or baseball, practicing trust with wisdom and discernment is easier when you start practicing early in life.
We’ll start the month of March off with learning about Trusting Ourselves through the story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a 9-year-old girl who trusted her own strength and courage by marching for Civil Rights in Alabama in 1963. Trusting ourselves is important, but no one stands alone — so our next lesson, about Trusting Others, will focus on the Danish people’s collective resistance to Nazi oppression in the inspiring story of The Yellow Star. While these stories from history remind us that life can present us with many serious challenges, it’s also important to Trust Life by taking leaps of faith that can result in discovering new sources of joy, like our animal friends in the story Giraffes Can’t Dance. Of course, the practice of trust can sometimes be painful — that’s why we’ll also explore a lesson on Fixing Broken Trust and the meaning of forgiveness and repair.
And finally, this month’s lessons will be topped off with a Multigenerational Worship Service on Sunday, March 30th on the theme of Trusting Our Inherent Worth. All ages are invited to participate in this kid-friendly, interactive service that will remind us that every single human being is sacred, and will give us tools to affirm our inherent worth in the face of a world that devalues us based on things like age, ability, gender, or race. As always, there will be opportunities for kids and youth to help lead the service. I always look forward to these services, which give kids and adults alike the opportunity to bring some playfulness and creativity into our spiritual practice. I hope to see you there, and until then, know that I am trusting this beautiful community to help hold me up through these difficult days, and that I am so grateful for your trust in me.
Jessica TenHave-Place
Director of Multigenerational Religious Education (DMRE)
(she/her/hers)
