Shalom Sistas: Living Wholeheartedly in a Brokenhearted World

by Osheta Moore

8. Our hearts break when we give in to pride. When we’re so aware of our gifts, so confident in the ways we can help, so eager to show off how amazing we truly are, we forget that we do not have to grapple for worth. But in the kingdom of God, the first are last and the last are made first—like Jesus, who “being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant” (Philippians 2:6-7). So we will serve before we speak. 9. Our hearts break when we give in to our fears that keep people at a distance. We embrace our prejudices and forget that every single person has immeasurable worth to God. But in the kingdom of God, Jesus is himself a bridge and has torn down the dividing wall of hostility between us and God. So we will build bridges, not walls. The fourth and final area in which I want to see shalom flourish is in my relationship with broken systems in the world. 10. Our hearts break when we systematize love and put quotas on wholeness. But in the kingdom of God, God’s goodness is persistent and God’s mercy follows us all our days. So we will choose ordinary acts of peace. 11. Our hearts break when we see injustice but are silent out of fear of disturbing the peace. But in the kingdom of God, Jesus has been coronated king on the cross, saying, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Je...