November 15th

“Why do you make me see wrongdoing
   and look at trouble?
Destruction and violence are before me;
   strife and contention arise.” Habakkuk 1:3

these days, we scroll past grief—
another child under the rubble,
another soul sleeping in a doorway,
another voice silenced for speaking truth,
another day as the powerful consolidate wealth
while the forgotten wonder if
anyone knows their names.
the violence is there for all to see,
the angry voices keep shouting,
compassion is pushed aside and
kindness is buried by those
who forget what it means to be human.
like that old prophet, we have questions—
why do you allow it,
why does injustice get the power,
why are peacemakers trapped in war zones?
but then, we are adept at ignoring your questions—
while you worry we will become
apathetic to the suffering of others,
mistaking silence for peace
and indifference for innocence.
so, please don’t let us grow comfortable
with all which shatters your heart,
but turn our outrage into compassion,
our questions into courage,
our prayers into action and
our voices into words for the unheard—
until justice rolls down,
mercy finds a home,
peace is more than a rote prayer
and we become people
who refuse to look away.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman