Written by Ines Velasquez-McBryde, a contemporary pastor and speaker.
Lamentation is a declaration that things aren’t as they should be… The God of heaven hears the voices of the unheard. The voices of the marginalized. The voices of the oppressed. Often misrepresented. Frequently dismissed. Repeatedly mocked. Easily discredited. Brutally dehumanized. Systematically silenced…Lamentation includes listening. Listening is a habit…Listening is critical for the flourishing of all humankind. The three circles of listening are listening to self, listening to God, and listening to others. Without listening, we end up limiting. We limit God’s expansive imagination about ourselves and about who others are becoming. Without listening, we stop short of who we could be and who others could become. Without listening, we truncate lamenting. And yet, lamentation leads to liberation. God extends to us an invitation to listen, privately and publicly.
“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast.” [1 Peter 5:10]
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