I belong to a little church in this swath of the Midwest I call my home. Some of the women in this little church, in the height of the “we don’t want refugees” clamoring and the anti-Dreamers frenzy a few years ago, decided they wanted to do something about it to counter the sentiment. They could have lobbied representatives or marched or spoke out. But they decided to befriend some of the very people in our community who were refugees. They started an English Language Learner group, teaching English and skills to those who needed it. They pressed against the tide of sentiments and have now created a community within our little city here. Some of those refugees are now American citizens. Some are business owners. Some have finally seen their husbands and fathers after being separated by immigration red-tape for almost a decade. And the community is better off because of it.
“If our days could be filled with small rebellions…. Senseless, brutal acts of kindness from us all…… If we stand between the fear and firm foundation…….Push against the current and the fall, the current and the fall….”
~ Jars of Clay “Small Rebellions”
Small Rebellions.
Any sort of rebellion is a revolution, but I would posit to say that small rebellions are countercultural.
They look like the protestors who put flowers into the barrels of soldiers’ guns.
They are the straight people at Pride wearing the “Free Hugs” shirts, or the adults who tell LGTQBIA+ children they have adults who care when their own families shun them.
They are the ones who seek to show kindness even when the predominant culture demands division, cynicism and even hatred.
It’s learning to embrace being yourself and learning to march to the beat of your own drum even when the world tries to insist you must conform and fit in.
Most would state that it takes bravery for a revolution. I argue that even a small rebellion requires some guts. After all, one is rebelling against the common culture. Even if one is not trying to be noticed, they stand out. They make a difference. They go against the grain.
But nevertheless, small rebellions can be emboldening. It’s participating in a march to protest wrongdoings. It’s showing you are a safe person for anyone to talk to. It’s allowing your teen to express themselves, even if the world doesn’t accept that expression, because it’s important to you. It’s wearing a ring with a cleverly hidden swear word, just because it reminds you to tap into resiliency when life gets too hard and to keep writing your own story by keeping on going.
Small rebellions.
We need more of them in this world today. We need the countercultures that will hopefully, eventually, become the normality. We need more people to push against the currents and the falls and help to bring about senseless brutal acts of kindness in this culture.
Find a way to be a small rebellion in this world.
Write your own story.
Stay magical.
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K. S. Wood Writes 
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