BECOMING ... BETWEEN ... to AWAKE

WHAT ARE WE BECOMING?
BETWEEN
our political nation & our personal faith/church
in the treatment of other human beings 
in our communities & beyond
into the view the world holds of us now

"The Statue of Liberty's Silent Protest" (YT)

 by Dutch artist, Judith de Leeuw

[more below in 1st box]

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I could not help but reflect on this when I saw this revealed

the day before the 4th of July

as I went from reading the

going from 

"BETWEEN" to "BECOMING"

(in sequence in the book)

preceded by

"LETTING GO"

and

those haunting questions that I began this post

 struck the very core of my being with the blatant truth.

So, I wondered what was next

or if perhaps there was an upcoming one on

BELONGING

{no, but in QUESTIONS "belong" appears, p.340}

in a book by Richard Rohr

"Everything Belongs"

[pieces of this were in the Readings for Reflection]

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[image credit: CBS news]

"It's important to note that France formally gifted the Statue of Liberty to the United States on July 4, 1884, to celebrate US independence and American democracy, among other things. De Leeuw called the unveiling of her mural on July 4th a "meaningful coincidence."

"The poem (by Emma Lazarus was written in 1883 to help raise funds for the statue's pedestal. It contrasts the Statue of Liberty with the Colossus of Rhodes, an ancient statue, and presents the Statue of Liberty as a "Mother of Exiles," welcoming immigrants to America." The full text of the relevant section of the poem written on the our Statue of Liberty reads: "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

and now a bit of background for this new mural

"Roubaix (in France) has a large migrant population, and many of them live in extremely difficult circumstances. The values that the Statue once stood for - freedom, hope, the right to be yourself - have been lost for many." Judith de Leeux

I can recall times when I was living in another country
when I, too, felt this "shame"
(depicted by Lady Liberty covering her face)
because of the behavior & attitude of people
from our country in their country.

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Our next focus
in the sequence of the

#30 AWAKE

(p. 227)AWAKEN, AWAKENING (Bible Hub Topical)
{I'm leaning toward "Awakening"}1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7in "Room to Flourish", J. Branch
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I TRUST GOD
that 
He alone has a purpose
in this sequence of events
and
these WORDS & that
He will "AWAKEN" me
and others
revealing more each day

Psalm 33:11 Voice
The Eternal's purposes will last to the end of time; the thoughts of His heart will awaken and stir all generations.
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WE must repent and change -
"it begins again where we stand"
when and how and for whom
we stand, defend & resist
TRUTH 
must prevail!
"What remains is the soul of the people"
It's worth the fight.
"May WE all be the keepers of the flame."~ President Joe Biden, Jan. 15, 2025 Farewell address to the nation
Let's not let our light go out.