A dear friend of mine is pregnant, expecting her first child in December. I have been delighted to share in her excitement from afar, thanks to Facebook updates and phone calls. Last week, she shared her grief at the shooting of Jacob Blake by police officers in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

There is an absurdity to the anger
Another seven shots
Another gaslighting e-mail
Another horrifying disappointment
I lie down in exhaustion
And hope I’m not hurting you, little one
By feeling all the hurt the world is giving us
Trying, once again, to choose joy
Grateful, once again, I’ve hidden you away
Whispering tearful “I love yous”
As your throbs keep me awake
Wondering, once again,
how much more we can take
This rage is real.
This pain intensifies.
But if they all knew you were here
They’d all just roll their eyes
Honestly, they’ve found ways to do that anyways
Hush hush. It’s not good for the baby, they’d say
Then fix the world.
It’s the world that’s crazy

My heart breaks for my friend, worrying about how the stress of this life is affecting her growing baby. My heart breaks for families fearing for the lives of their loved ones, and those grieving lives taken too soon. My heart breaks for a nation which has chosen white supremacy over justice time and time again. I am reminded of the words of a song “Hosanna” by Hillsong, which says “Break my heart for what breaks yours”. When our hearts break for the world, we are of one heart with Our Heavenly Parent. God weeps with those who weep.