Hope in a fragile and scared world

In a world that has been surprised, shifted and shaken, the shock has shown what we already knew but liked to ignore - that life is fragile and temporary.

Anna Goodman, from City Church in Cambridge, shares her thoughts after getting to know more about Who Cares?

The unknown can be scary; so many questions, so few answers. It's a vulnerable place and time to be living in.

Paul McCartney famously wrote a song called, "Who cares". It contains the lines, "Who cares about the pain in your heart? Who cares about you? I do." By asking the question, "What hurts the most?" The Who Cares? initiative offers hope to a fragile and scared world. Who cares about you and the pain in your heart? They do.

I recently had the delight of spending the day with the team from Who Cares? Reflecting on this special time, I was struck by three things:

1. Their authenticity. These people really cared, it was tangible and contagious. They genuinely desired to bring hope from a heart of compassion that was not superficial and fleeting but was the driving force to everything they were doing. 

2. Their commitment. Listening about their short-term and long-term plans and aims it was clear that Who Cares? had been well-researched and invested in - they were in it for the long-haul, they weren't about to run away and abandon you.

3. Finally, the fruit. You can tell the health of the tree by the fruit it produces. Hearing the impact that Who Cares? had made in the communities where it had been established was a remarkable testimony to the health of this particular 'tree' - the fruit was abundant. Lives had been significantly changed as a result of what they had done.

I walked away from my time with Who Cares? like I'd been given an apple. I could either eat it and enjoy it all to myself, or I could pass on the seeds of their vision to others so that an orchard could be grown. Personally, I knew that I wanted to plant some seeds because at the heart of Who Cares? is something that offers life and light to our dark and wobbled world.