Peter Harris speaks about lament on Grassroots podcast

2020 has been a tumultuous year for A Rocha and for the world at large. We need hope like we need oxygen. But we also need to acknowledge our pain, fear, disorientation and grief. We need to lament.

Our friends at Plant With Purpose work to reverse deforestation, support sustainable farming practices and foster spiritual renewal. To date, Plant With Purpose has planted over 32 million trees around the world. While across most of the planet we are losing precious forest cover, the opposite is true in the places they work: a hopeful story indeed.

In a recent episode of their ‘Grassroots’ podcast, A Rocha founder Peter Harris talked about the role of lament in faith and environmental restoration, drawing deeply from his own tragic loss of Miranda:

‘While we’ve known great suffering in A Rocha’s history and in our own lives as well, this has come very much into my own personal life now. As anyone who goes through these experiences will tell you, you don’t learn new things, but you learn the depth and the resonance of what you already know. Lament and grappling with the mystery of God’s ways with us become very real.’

To hear the full interview (which starts at minute 37) as well as a discussion on vulnerability with Kayla Craig from the Love Anyways podcast and an update on Plant With Purpose’s programmes around the world, click here or anywhere else podcasts are available.