Woke is not a four-letter word

Alejandro Rodríguez

It’s hard to walk around these days without bumping into someone talking about being “woke” - especially in more conservative circles.

To be aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues would seem to be a good thing. Still, I can understand the concern. After all, it’s uncomfortable to recognize that my neighbor is suffering… and then be compelled to do something about it. Ignorance is bliss, right?

We typically talk about being woke in terms of social justice. I can’t imagine reading Matthew 25:31-45 without having a Jesus-inspired desire to be woke. If we take time to see the world through others’ eyes, we can have empathy for their situation and be motivated to be an advocate or an ally for them.

Being woke has another connotation for me; a spiritual one.

Some of you may know that I’ve been executive director of the Spirituality Network for about 18 months now. The Network has played a pivotal role in my own spiritual awakening. I know I’m not alone.

At the Network, our vision is Awakening Lives, Transforming the World.

This is a little different than the vision we had before I was elected as executive director. It used to say, “Awakened Lives Transforming the World.”

We felt that having “awakened” in the past tense gave the wrong impression. We are never fully awakened. It’s a process of unfolding that carries us through life as we open our hearts and minds to what God has in store for us.

This awakening starts with ourselves. I’ve come to recognize that I can’t really love my neighbor as myself if I can’t love myself first. I believe that means to know myself as clearly as God knows me.

It means being aware of where I am less than who God intended me to be… and holding this “less than” with tenderness and grace. And it also means seeing my gifts and talents with humility. I think that’s what it means in Micah 6:8 when we’re told to walk humbly with our God – to know ourselves fully.

The Spirituality Network has created a space where I can know myself in a container of unconditional love. It’s not always easy to see ourselves critically, but it’s a lot easier when we do so in a loving environment.

Only after embarking on a journey of personal awakening can we truly empathize with the plight of others. Only then can we love unconditionally as God intended.

(Shared in First Congregational Church’s Connections newsletter)