It doesn’t have to be this way

“I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey” 

Exodus 3:7-8

In God’s first conversation with Moses, God says to Moses, “It doesn’t have to be this way.”  

In the midst of the suffering and oppression of the Israelites, God models what it means to be present for another and to listen.  And in the midst of a moment which appears to be hopeless, God hears the cries of the Israelites. God offers a different path, a new approach.  

When people live in the midst of deep suffering, hopelessness metastasizes. It is easy to believe life will never get better.

During my organizing career, I frequently met people who would say to me, “It will always be this way.” So often, these individuals found themselves victims of the oppressive use of power and experienced disappointment again and again.  They internalized the message the powers delivered to them, “things will never change.”

What amazed me were the moments when I met someone who would describe the problems they were facing and the challenges that could easily overwhelm, but end with the confident conclusion that “It doesn’t have to be this way.”  It is a courageous statement infused with determination and hope.

As a result, these folks who saw possibility in the midst of pain would join with others who shared the same boldness.  People who looked at the depressing evidence around them and decided they would not accept that evidence as the definitive story.  In my career, this determination turned into action meant safer streets, better schools, affordable homes, and holding accountable those with power.

“It doesn’t have to be this way.” That is what God says to Moses when they first meet.  It doesn’t have to be this way.  And in this moment, the liberation movement which has served to inspire other liberation movements throughout history began.