Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. (John 15:13 NIV)
This week I am stage managing the student production of a play written by several of the high school students. The play tells the parallel stories of the Choctaw Trail of Tears and the Irish Potato Famine. These two events of the early 1800’s are far removed from our present world, but similar stories of suffering and sorrow are still with us today. While at first thought the plot may sound gloomy, it’s well written, well acted, and definitely a beautiful story of hope. I share with you some of the ending lines, praying that these words written by teenagers will minister to your soul.
“It just goes to show that no matter how many unspeakable things people do to one another, there will always be those who rise above the hatred and choose to be kind.”
“To the people of Ireland, from your Choctaw brothers across the sea. We have heard your story. Heard of the great suffering you have endured, and the troubles that still lay ahead, and it spoke to us. We too know what it is to go hungry, to face hatred and bitter pain, to lose our homes. To watch loved ones die before our eyes. And yet, we also know what it is to hope, to endure, to stand together and face whatever comes. We send this gift in the hope that it will lessen the sting of your hunger and heartache. As you brave the coming years, persist in the knowledge that you are not alone. The Irish will always have a friend in the Choctaw, and you will endure. Let this always be a reminder that humanity is never too far gone. That no matter how wide the chasm of tragedy grows, a bridge of hope can always be found to ease the crossing. And once you find that bridge, you will march joyfully and triumphantly, until you reach the other side.”
“That’s the way it should always be. No one should have to struggle alone. Together, we are so much stronger. Together, we can make it through the flood and the drought, the darkness and the storm. So from our family to yours, let the connection of the Choctaw and the Irish be remembered by many generations to come as a wonderful reminder of hope. Sorrow is a powerful enemy, but by standing together, brighter days and joyful years shall follow. Greater love has no one like this, that he should lay down his life for a friend.”
God of Hope,
Thank you that, through Jesus, humanity is never too far gone. Thank you that no matter how much tragedy we endure, your Hope and Peace are always available to us. Thank you that we who struggle do not have to do it alone; you are with us and you send others to strengthen us. We pray that the messages of these two peoples, told through this play, would resonate with hearts and minds today. May we be reminded to always choose kindness and love, we ask in Jesus’s name. AMEN.