Isaiah 58:8
your healing shall spring up quickly

Healing Humanity by Natalie Patterson, used with permission

Life is complex
You should know that upfront.
There will be tears and hurt and joy and pain
So much love and magic and heartbreak.
Did I mention Life is kinda weird

It is the cacophony of people and things
Ideas and promises we meant to keep

Think of it like a symphony
We each are members of this perfect sound
But independent the song just ain’t the same
Like Drake without the corny dancing
Ok that’s a terrible example
But you know what I mean

We are a symphony
Having a part to play and should we give it our all
We get to bask in the goosebumps
Get to settle into the magic
And speaking of magic
This is the best part
But it is tricky tho
Because magic is this illusion right
This crazy blend of intoxicating allure and hard work
Sometimes you will feel like a prop
Feel like an unfinished trick
But should we execute masterfully
You get to understand the bigger picture
You get the stand center stage while the world claps
And that feels fantastic even if the whole world isn’t actually clapping, let me tell you

Picture yourself in the face of your next heartbreak
But equipped with the knowledge that it all works out
Would you still feel as devastated?

Looking back, I wish I would have known how good my life was going to get
How each hurt prepared me for the next best version of myself
I might have seen rejection as God’s protection and let that fool go with greater ease

Your perspective is your saving grace
Press your spirit against your faith
And promise yourself that something more is coming

This is how you heal.
Do not sulk
Do not give up
Do not invest your energy in people who do not value you
Your duty is to place yourself in the best case scenario but not on some creepy capitalist crabs in a barrel tip
But by proving that you are worthy of magnificence
ESPECIALLY when your faith is wavering

And I mean faith like
Only visualizing positive outcomes
Like praying to your god prayers of thanks even when nothing is working because you Know something will
Faith like not losing hope for recovery
Like staying the course

And when we all do this work
This hard to describe work of not letting our past define the outcome of our future
WE HEAL
And if we heal individually, so do we collectively
And on the other side of pain, we find love
We find joy in the laughter of children
We find balance because we did the work
And it ain’t easy my friend
Healing is not easy
But it can be the best thing you ever do
For yourself and humanity./end/

Let the healing begin in the knowledge that with mercy comes the power and pressure to risk, the honesty and humility that will move us toward wholeness within each and among all, through reclaiming and rejoicing in our common humanity, as God’s beloved family.

Questions for reflection:

  • What is in need of healing for you? How does your faith play a role in healing?
  • What is in need of healing for an asylum seeker?
  • What is in need of healing for a person in detention?
  • What is in need of healing for a DACA recipient?
  • What is in need of healing for the church in terms of migrants?

***

Natalie Patterson is bold, honest, and in pursuit of liberation for the human spirit. She is a humanist, poet, teaching artist, and mental health advocate. Her most recent work can be found on the streets of Los Angeles as co-founder and curator of A Love Language Project, a public art project using murals as protest posters to center and amplify black voices, for the purpose of inspiring meaningful conversation around Black liberation. To learn more: Natalieispoetry.com.


Watch poet Natalie Patterson perform “Healing Humanity”