Using What Little You Have

Rizpah daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the beginning of the harvest till the rain poured down from the heavens on the bodies, she did not let the birds touch them by day or the wild animals by night. - 2 Samuel 21:10

Rizpah had her children taken from her and murdered by the king. She had no recourse. She held no power. The scripture does not give her a single word. Nevertheless, she persisted.

All Rizpah had was her grief. So she let it mobilize her, she let it strengthen her, she let it give her endurance she needed. In this brutal situation, she guarded the bodies of those whom had been killed, even though it had been proclaimed that they wouldn’t even be buried. So she shamed the authorities into finally acting and granting her petition to bury the bones in dignity. It took months and so much sacrifice and discomfort, not to mention having to face her own grief every day. But it was effective. It pushed the authorities to mend their ways and to own their inhumanity.

Rizpah had nothing but her grief with which to resist the forces of empire. What do you have? And are there ways you could let your grief over how things are right now in our country to strength you for the work of justice?