Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.
Isaiah 40: 28
As a German student, I am fascinated with words and the way we can use language to seek comfort and put meaning to our experience. Like many foreign languages, German has the ability to put to words a feeling that can’t easily be expressed in English. One German word that I have leaned on this year is Weltschmerz (n). a feeling of melancholy and world-weariness.
Being weary of the world. Isn’t that something we’ve all felt? A moment in which it is too exhausting to think about the reality of the world? The fatigue we feel when doom-scrolling on social media only to see more bad news? Impatience, dissatisfaction, and a longing for something better? All of these phrases seem to easily describe this past year. Weltschmerz has proved helpful to me during a time where it seems like words are all we have. While words have strength, it can be hard for us to sit idly by and not take action. When Weltschmerz overwhelms us, it can be hard to have faith and to continue. During this Lent, I encourage you to acknowledge your own feeling of Weltschmerz, while also knowing that we have a God who will never grow weary, and a God who will carry us through this weariness to a time of light.
A prayer for your Lent: I know this world can be a little much at times, and wears you down as it clouds your mind, but even here, you are free to let go of those things, and merely be. You do not have to sort through everything. You are free to let go and trust in this space. You are free to believe: even after a thousand nights that all felt the same, mercy is still on the horizon and it will bring a new day. - Morgan Harper Nichols
- Inger Smuts ’21, Cal Lutheran Student
