From HHG’s January newsletter. Be sure to subscribe!
I hope you have gotten off to a great start in 2021! A new year and a new administration in the United States gives us pause to reflect. A story keeps coming to mind.
A woman goes to her rabbi to confide the guilt she feels about telling something that turned out to be untrue. The rabbi asked her to get a pillow from her home. When she brought it to him, he told her to open the pillow and take all the feathers out. Doing what she was told, she noticed how the window was open and some feathers were flying away. Once done, the rabbi told her to put them all back in the pillow. She knew it was impossible. “Yes,” said the rabbi. “And that is what happens when you gossip or tell a story about someone else. Once you talk about someone, the words fly from one person’s mouth to another, just like these feathers flew in the wind. Once you say them, you can never take them back.”
Your words matter more than you may think.
A story told on social media (a global megaphone) can spread like wildfire and although it may be stoppable, it’s never fully retractable.
That’s why it’s important to guard your heart and mind. When we take in fakes instead of facts, we can lead others into bad situations, and cause the world a whole lot of heartache.
The tongue that heals is a tree of life, but a devious tongue[a] breaks the spirit. Proverbs 15:4
A Tree of Life
When you contribute to Harper Hill Global, you invest in sending out healing words. Words of peace, justice, dignity and health. Your voice is amplified as we speak up for parts of the human family who are hurting. You speak truth to power and that truth draw out the power inside yourself. The truth that not only do facts matter, YOU and your wellbeing matter. Without you living your fullest life, the world around you is less than what it is meant to be.
Remember that through our shared history,
You’ve stood to overcome oppression caused by political leaders and inequitable systems.
You’ve helped women arise from gender bias and shame caused by employment discrimination and sexual violence.
You’ve saved lives from preventable diseases like the coronavirus and Ebola.
You’ve fed those who were hungry and without local food banks.
Repair the World
You and I have so much yet to do this year, and it will take us working together to repair the world. May we unite in this common work and build love amongst us along the way.
May your best days lie ahead – –Neelley