Who Cares for the Baby Bears?

Years ago when I was younger and spent more time hanging out with teenagers, I rustled up a bunch of them and hauled them to a ski resort in Virginia. Some of them had never experienced strapping those skinny boards to the bottom of a pair of clunky boots and trying to stay upright while gliding over the white stuff blanketing the mountains. I herded them to the “bunny slopes” as they are called, the gentle beginners’ paths from the end of the lift ride back to its starting point. After some abbreviated instruction, more than a bit nervously the novice skiers headed downward.

As we yielded to the pull of the slope, we cautiously progressed toward our goal: the contraption that would scoop us up so we could do it all over again. As I watched my wards make their way from one side to the other, a more advanced skier careened through the midst of them knocking them off balance and out of confidence. Most uncharacteristically, I yelled at the disruptive lifeforce that scattered the bunnies like sprinkles on top of an ice cream cone. The other adult tending the teens with me who witnessed the villainous skier’s dangerous descent quipped, “You don’t mess with mama bear and her baby bears!”

The young, inexperienced skiers were not only vulnerable but also under my watch. Not only did I feel responsible for them – the call of duty – but I also cared about their wellbeing – the weight of love. They had been threatened by an outside force, endangered by a reckless and rule-ignoring skier. And the welfare of the teenagers in my care was a non-negotiable for me.

There are certain things in life that are like that for us. We won’t bend, wiggle, or compromise; our stance is as solid as a brick wall. And there’s much in life that is best approached with a measure of fluidity or, if you will, realism. Often, it is the most vulnerable among us who help us clarify what’s negotiable and what’s not. Who are the baby bears of our community and world? The underserved. Those in the throes of food insecurity. The victims of abuse. Children. The resourceless elderly. Who cares for the baby bears? Is it our concern to go to bat for (or even into battle for) the least, the last, and the lost in our midst? What would it look like for us to advocate for those who find themselves on paths where reckless life-threatening forces careen out of control?

Do you have a mama bear living inside you? For whom will you call out seeking justice or peace or safety or wellbeing today?