Yesterday, April 23rd, was the sixth anniversary of the Yonge Street Tragedy. It has been so interesting to see how, with every year that passes, as I pause with neighbours to remember and to honour and to pray, God will do something new every time.
Maybe it’s a new story from that day or another testimony of how someone’s life was miraculously spared; consistently though, there is a new layer of healing that takes place.
I had the privilege of sharing a message of hope at a small commemorative gathering at Mel Lastman yesterday afternoon and even as I was preparing, I kept thinking about the powerful link between hope and Patient Endurance.
Here’s some of what I shared with our Willowdale neighbours, I hope that it will bring some encouragement and perhaps a new layer of healing in each of your hearts as well!
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“As we stand here today and remember a tragedy endorsed by hatred; a tragedy that resulted from embers of resentment being fanned into flame by evil itself… May we never, ever forget how remarkably powerful Love is.
Just as Love battles against hatred, so too does Hope rage war against despair and mediocrity.
One of the simultaneously most difficult and stunning things about Hope is that it is active.
Hope doesn’t look back and say, “Phew, glad that’s over…”
Hope dares to wander back and search through the wreckage, rejoicing when signs of life flicker.
Hope gently gathers the broken remains, tearfully determined to find beauty in the rubble.
Because Hope is active and not nearly as interested in what once was, creativity and innovation begin to bubble forth as Hope looks towards the future.
While Gratitude can be an eventual fruit of reflecting and look back… Life is the fruit being nurtured by Hope.
This type of Life Fruit does not survive on wishful thinking or dreams alone… no. Sadly, neither of those things will bring about great harvests.
Hope that will not fade away or ever be trampled out is similar to light shining out in darkness. It is audacious and it is reckless and it is stubborn.
And the invitation for all to join in this daring adventure to hope remains open and available.
Participating in this healing, creative and life-nurturing work of Being Hopeful is free to receive and yet more costly than we’d like.
I recently heard this line and it really stood out to me: “Even in the darkness, I see your love. Inside you are full and through your eyes it shines.”
And so here we are, six years into this daring journey of choosing Hope over despair, deciding to be creative instead of stagnant and growing ever closer as a community rather than isolating.
May we be a community, marked not only by horrific tragedy, but by the people of Hope that we have become and are becoming together.
May we have the audacity to forgive instead of fostering resentment and bitterness.
May we have the stubborn determination not to give in to the evil that surrounds and to dare to shine.
May we fight the urge to frown and hurry past and choose instead to slow down and consider those around us… to lift up those eyes of love to see those around us… maybe even dare to smile.”