In times of devastation and brokenness, simply being present and holding people in their grief is all that is needed. There are no right words to say, no quick fixes. No one has to name it or express how it feels – people can just feel. Silent moments are imperative for people to face the horror, experience the sorrow, and begin to heal. Death is beyond our human understanding. People need wordless moments to grasp that.
This past year, I silently walked with parents as their children’s lives were cut short, with people as they were told that their cancer has come back, or that their time on this earth would come to an early end. The hospital houses the sick, the lost, and the despairing. Yet, within these walls, God brings comfort, strength, and solace. As chaplain, I stumble, cry, and joyously witness the brokenness of the world. The hospital is a holy place, and there I experience the beauty of sacred, wordless moments.
This message is excerpted from “Sacred spaces that require no words,” by Ralen M. Robinson in the July 2018 Café online magazine.
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