The Healing Balm of Love

Do you see the value of each act of Love? In this article, Living School sendee Kelsey Kappauf invites us to embrace the value of every act of Love. From big acts of love, like ministering to those in need, to the smaller acts of love that we offer each other in the simplest of human interactions. Kelsey writes:

When I consider how a contemplative lifestyle invites us to participate in social ministry, I close my eyes and see many faces.  

I see my eight-year-old daughter and her friends sharing their food with a girl at school who said she was hungry. I watched as they all quickly pulled out their lunches to offer what they had with such joy and generosity.   

I see Johnathan, the nurse who provided my dad with so much more than medical care when he was diagnosed with stage IV cancer. As my dad’s eyes welled with tears, Johnathan hugged him and met him with such tenderness and care.   

I see Cynthia Castro, director for One Atta in El Salvador, who, as I type this, is meeting with the El Salvadorian President of Water and Infrastructure. As someone who grew up with water-related illnesses herself, she now spends her days passionately advocating for families in her country to have access to clean water.   

As I think of these stories, I am moved, but not solely because of what each person offered, but because of the way they offered it. To me, these are examples of social ministry informed by contemplative life.   

Social ministry is to actively participate in the healing of the world, by offering our unique gifts and resources, as a response to suffering and injustice. Our contemplative lives inform how we respond, grounding what we offer in Love.  

In the work my family and friends get to do, we collaborate with local partners to distribute water filters to communities in need. Having access to clean water profoundly changes lives and it is difficult to put into words the beauty of the heartfelt ways in which local leaders show up in their communities.   

For example, at a recent filter distribution, a 29-year-old woman named Evelyn started to weep after receiving her filter. Cynthia approached her and asked her if she was ok, and when she did, Evelyn started to share her story.  

She shared that her husband had recently died in a car accident and that she was now raising four kids on her own. She had become very worried about her kid’s health. They already struggled with water-related illnesses, and because of the trauma of their father’s death, they were losing even more weight. Evelyn had been crying out to God for help. She shared that she had never felt so alone.   

When she received her water filter and bucket, she shared that she felt a sense of hope that her kids would get their strength back. Without knowing Evelyn’s story a team member had written a message on the bucket which read: You are not alone. Cynthia and Evelyn looked into each other’s tear-soaked eyes and embraced.   

Love invites us to look into one another’s eyes, to learn about each other, and honor one another’s pain, even if we can’t understand it. Love invites us to act, to participate in the healing of the world by waking up to the invitations all around us to be Love. We won’t show up perfectly, and there will always be room for growth. The goal is not perfection, but the willingness to show up for one another amidst the mess.   

Every act of love holds value. Whether that’s sharing a snack with a hungry friend, like my eight-year-old daughter, or advocating for human rights, like Cynthia. Every act of love is a healing balm to our world.   

Desmond Tutu said, “Do your little bit of good where you are; it is those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” What “little bit of good” is Love inviting you to participate in?  

Reflect with Us 

What is a small act of love that you can do today? Can you make that loving act a regular practice? Share your reflection with us. 

Kelsey Kappauf is a CAC Living School sendee with a Theological Studies degree, pastoral experience, and certifications as an Enneagram and End of Life coach. Kelsey works compassionately creating spaces for grace, openness, and profound transformation in her work supporting ONE ATTA and as a Death Doula and Death Coach.  

We Conspire is a series from the Center for Action and Contemplation featuring wisdom and stories from the growing Christian contemplative movement. Sign up for the monthly email series and receive a free invitation to practice each month.