08/21/2026
Kimberly is a dear friend and my Spiritual director. Wanted to share this article she was featured in.
KIMBERLY BROERMAN
Kimberly Broerman
Staying awake to the pain of the world right now is heartbreaking and, at times, overwhelming. The dark powers of cruelty and violence are so thoroughly entrenched and unleashed in the world, it can feel next to impossible to try to process the daily news, our social media feeds, and the rage, grief, fear and more that arise when we take in the truth of what is happening. How can we stay grounded rather than be seduced into the chaos of fear and despair?
As much as we may feel called to give ourselves to every good cause and project, we also know we have limited time and energy. How do we discern our part in the healing of the world and give ourselves to it without spreading ourselves thin or burning out?
I keep coming back to this question that I believe each of us must prayerfully ask ourselves: “What is mine to do?”
Not just “What is wrong” or “What is needed?” Not just, “What do I have to offer in terms of time, resources, skills, gifts and experience?” But where is that place where the world’s needs and my gifts intersect?
Where does my compassion arise and challenge me to take action—where I am most fully alive, fully human and fully myself in service to the great needs of our times?
I reflect often on the words of mystic theologian Howard Thurman: “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
We are not all called to do everything. But we are each called and gifted to do something. We must prayerfully discern what is ours to do, and do that, knowing that we are a small but vital part of a vast ecosystem of care working to tend to the suffering and create more just and equitable ways to live together.
It is so hard to be human these days. To stay awake and see both the immense beauty and immense suffering without numbing or distracting ourselves. To allow reality to tender our own hearts rather than harden them. To find safe spaces and outlets for lament, grief and holy rage so that we do not do further violence to ourselves or others. To reflect and discern what is ours to do and to do it rather than be seduced by nihilism and overwhelmed into paralysis.
We are not alone. We have one another. We have wise guides who have gone before us and are still with us. And we have Love, who is always at work to heal and restore this beloved world even when the forces of darkness appear to be winning the day.
May we not lose heart. Let us keep showing up and doing what is ours to do. We are in this together, and we shall all be free and live in peace someday.
Creator and spiritual director of Deep Waters Center for Prayer & Exploration, Kimberly Broerman offers sacred space to share authentically, connect with self, one another and God, and practice contemplative living. She hosts conversations, groups, retreats and workshops to help spiritual seekers explore their inner lives. ❧
