Shackles

Today in 1865, the Thirteenth Amendment was approved by the House of Representatives. The quote I shared with my class comes from Frederick Douglass:

“No man can put a chain about the ankle of his fellow man without at last finding the other end fastened about his own neck.”

There are some very obvious things I could reflect upon here, but the way my brain works, I was drawn in a perhaps less-obvious direction. I wondered about the things that keep me shackled to others…a grudge, a secret, an unhealthy attachment, things that I stay angry about.

I tasked my students with reflecting on this and I am blown away at some of the things they wrote. The trust they put in me is such an honor…and such a heavy thing to carry. I pray every day for the right words.

It also makes me think about the people to whom I am shackled…things that make me angry and grudges I still hold. It is so easy to say “I forgive” but if you keep picking at the event…it stays inflamed. I will pray for the folks to whom I am shackled and see if I can figure out where the key is.