Anna Block is a site staff in Saskatoon. Here she explores the reasons their summer interns have for coming to their community, and what it means to seek shalom.
What are They Looking For?
In the words of Eurythmics, everybody’s looking for something. Their lyrics go on in a negative vein:
“Some of them want to use you
Some of them want to get used by you
Some of them want to abuse you
Some of them want to be abused”
This is the story that many tell of our community–that people looking to take advantage of or abuse others are found here. This iconic melody could be overlayed on generations of warnings given to young university students and newcomers about the dangers on this side of the river. But this summer we have experienced something different. People are still looking for something, but this time it is shalom. From both within and outside our community, we have hired interns excited by the possibility of getting to know and learn from the neighbours they are meeting. We are here for more than the chance to use, be used, or be abused; we are here because this is where God is transforming lives into flourishing with His shalom.
What Does it Mean to Seek Shalom?
This is a word we use a lot at Servant Partners, and it can mean many different things. We like to explain it as ‘no one is missing and nothing is broken’. It is a Hebrew word that means peace–but a depth of utter peace that comes when everything is complete. Maybe it’s the peace God felt as He rested on the seventh day; with all of creation completed and in perfect accord. Practically though, what does seeking shalom look like? For us, it looks like noticing when someone–or a group of someones–isn’t present and asking why. Why are the single seniors in our neighbourhood not present at community events or in the workforce? Why are some ethnicities excluded from positions of power or find getting and keeping stable housing more difficult? Why are some kids accepted into neighbourhood games of soccer, while others aren’t? And what is broken? Which systems seem to be failing those they are meant to serve? Asking these questions takes time, and so does noticing their answers. Once the listening is done, further seeking begins. Where is God already solving these problems? Who is He already using to do it? Maybe it's a friendly eight-year-old who seems blind to the racism and negative stereotypes swirling around the new friends she is determined to make. Or maybe it's the older woman passionate about creating a grandparents’ circle to bring fellowship and solidarity to others she sees are lonely. Or maybe it is in the universal language of soccer, and the friendship that can be won with one pass. Next, you guessed it, more questions. How can I join in? What part can I play to come alongside the shalom God is already creating? How can I become a co-creator with Him? At Servant Partners, this is what we do in the neighbourhoods we inhabit. We come to ask questions. We come to seek shalom.
They Came Here To Seek Shalom
This summer’s interns have various reasons for choosing to come, yet there is a thread that links them all. The belief that through coming alongside and being with others is the best way to find the good in them–to find shalom. One mentioned the fear of growing calloused to compassion and hoped that relationship would combat apathy. A second intern named the stereotypes she saw herself falling into, and wanted to challenge them in herself, the rest of the community, and others outside. Another talked about what it was like growing up here; “others only look at the bad, I see more.” Not only are they hoping to find shalom for the people they are working with this summer, but they recognize that coming here contributes to their own shalom. They have also learned what more shalom might look like through their interactions here. After witnessing racism between different newcomer ethnicities in our soccer camp, they expressed the hope that this generation of children would be the ones to challenge and break free of the racist stereotypes that are repeated here. After joining a walking group of women passionate about reclaiming the neighbourhood as a safe place for themselves, they began praying that more and more neighbours would see themselves as capable agents of change. And after working and laughing with the children in the neighbourhood and witnessing the needs of the unhoused people here, they started considering that God might be able to create a place where people’s needs could be met without taking away the safety of others. They came here seeking shalom for themselves and their neighbours.
Where Does That Get You?
After four years in this community, I truly can’t see myself living anywhere else. The smiles and personal interest I receive from my neighbours feel like the arms of God. The joy heard in children’s voices yelling my name in recognition sounds like his voice. I came here seeking shalom. I came with the belief that there was shalom to be found here. Here. In the margins and places others warn against. I have walked with neighbours through triumphs and tragedies. It is important that after four years I am not staying here just because of a fervent hope that shalom is possible. I do still have that hope, and it is one of the reasons I am here. But I have found shalom here, and because of that I plan to keep seeking it. My continued hope for shalom has been fueled by the abundant glimpses and tastes I have already had. And like the interns, I have found that seeking shalom for myself and my neighbours is one and the same.
Where do You go to Seek Shalom?
God has proven throughout history that He is found in unlikely places. What are the spaces where you find yourself seeking His shalom? Maybe it’s in your house, within your own family. Maybe it is through church services or programs. Maybe it's in the stillness of His creation. The beautiful thing about an omnipresent God is that wherever you go, you can find Him. And that means you can find His shalom if you are willing to seek it. At Servant Partners we believe God is calling us all to seek His shalom in the margins, the unlikely spaces. Where are the unlikely spaces in your life? The areas where you have been told–or have told yourself–that His goodness can’t reach or won’t bear fruit? We encourage you to challenge this. We don’t have to listen to the negative refrain of that catchy tune. We can be people looking for something good. God’s transformation is possible even there, but you won’t know that until you seek it out.
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