There's two ways to approach a difficult situation or a busy time or a murky chaos. I can't do this. Or I can't do this alone.
"I can't do this" assumes that you were the only one who could do it. There was no community around you, no people to support you. It also, at its heart, negates the presence of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.
"I can't do this alone" With that one word, we recognize our dependence. And dependence isn't a bad thing. It means that we were created to be in community; to be helped and to help each other. Dependence means that we recognize we are not God -- we are not the creators of this world, but we are a beloved part of God's creation.
For much of my life, I've operated with a response, "I can do that!" It's a sign of a leader and one excited about a mission to have this curious, engaged and positive response. But when difficulties come, the natural reaction would be then, "I can't do this."
What happens if we change the response, "We can do this" and find the ways that others can help, and we can take new endeavors, difficult journeys etc. to God in prayer? When times are tough, will our response be then, "We can't do this alone" reminding us of the community that surround us.
As I write this, our congregation is preparing to highlight suicide prevention week. I am so grateful that we have started a mental health team to begin engaging our congregation and community on this topic so often neglected in our society, but especially our religious institutions. "I can't do this alone" can be the first step toward mental health awareness, recognizing our need for a support system, professional help or intervention. And whether we are struggling with mental health or not, we should all realize the truth in this statement, "I cannot do this alone".
But why be concerned with building community and letting others know that they are not alone? In a time when (of all things) empathy, or the love of one's neighbor, seems to be under attack, we might do well to turn back to what is at the core of each major religion, "The Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do to you."
Over and over in the Judeo-Christian tradition, we are reminded of the call to look out for the most vulnerable part of society. Whether it be the widow in ancient Israel or the leper in Jesus's time, we are committed by our faith tradition to ask where our community has broken down and who is regarded as less than in our society. Who is the widow or leper in our community here in the Lehigh Valley? Who is forgotten or who are we not treating as we would want to be treated? Who is our world community is deemed as less than according to our standards, thus not deserving of basic necessities and human rights? In our personal, community and global engagements, the Golden Rule is one to center us no matter what faith tradition (or absence of one) that we come from. As scholar Karen Armstrong said, "As the Golden Rules says look into your own heart, discover what gives you pain, and then refuse under any circumstance whatsoever to inflict that pain on anybody else."
We can, and we must, continue to know that we are dependent upon each other. We can get through this -- or anything we are facing -- if we return to the mantra, We can get through this Together.