A WOMAN AT THE WINDOW AND A WORLD IN PAIN
She is a widow, deeply scarred. Not only by the loss of her husband, but by the slow unraveling that followed. The nights are long. The house is too quiet. Memories arrive without asking permission, and grief settles in places words cannot reach. She watches the world from her window, carrying her own sorrow while sensing that suffering has spread far beyond her walls.
Outside, pain multiplies. The homeless brace against the cold, wrapping themselves in whatever they can find. The hungry search for food, not for comfort or variety, but simply to quiet the ache. Anxiety hangs in the air. People argue fiercely over political views, dividing neighbors into enemies, shouting as though volume could heal wounds. It feels as if compassion has grown thin, and patience even thinner.
A familiar song drifts through her mind, the one about looking at yourself and choosing to change before demanding it of others. It reminds her that healing does not begin on a stage or in a debate, but in the heart willing to see clearly. She realizes how easy it is to point outward, and how hard it is to stand honestly before the mirror. Yet this is where lasting change begins, not with rage, but with repentance and resolve.
The word of Christ moves quietly into this ache. Jesus saw the crowds and was moved with compassion because they were weary and scattered (Matthew 9:36). He did not sort them by opinion or worthiness. He fed the hungry, touched the untouchable, and welcomed the broken. He taught that loving God and loving your neighbor are inseparable commands (Matthew 22:37-39). And He reminded His followers that mercy offered to the least is mercy offered to Him (Matthew 25:35-40).
The widow understands something now. She cannot fix the world. But she can soften her heart. She can pray instead of curse. She can notice instead of ignore. She can give, forgive, and refuse to let bitterness have the final word. In a loud and divided age, quiet faith becomes a form of courage. Compassion becomes an act of resistance. And small acts of love begin to warm a very cold world.
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Lord Jesus, open our eyes to the hurting around us and within us. Begin Your work in our hearts, and make us people of mercy, peace, and humble love. Amen.
BDD
