The real work

The real work is not a platitude,

not a phrase that fades by morning.

The real work is much harder—

listening when we’d rather speak,

hearing the truth that cuts our pride.

The real work is seeing God’s face

in all the faces we’ve ignored,

the faces we’ve turned away,

the faces we have feared.

The real work starts with caring more for

for every wound of every soul,

every life of every person,

not only the ones whose lives seem

to matter more to everyone.

The real work is more than outrage.

It is more than pointing fingers.

It is more than crying foul.

The real work is you naming your part.

Your part was there in your silence.

It was part of the harm before,

in the comfort you decided

was yours while the others suffered.

But now the real work—

the holy work—

begins when we repent,

when we change,

when we care enough

to risk love’s call.