When You Feel Helpless About Ethiopia

By Zelalem Eshete, Ph.D.

Watching Ethiopia’s deep wounds can leave many feeling helpless. It can seem as if no matter how much we care, our voices are too small and powerless against the rising tide of division and pain. Yet even in these moments, we are not without purpose. Some of the most lasting changes in history have come through quiet, unseen faithfulness rather than grand displays of power.

Real influence does not begin with political office or public recognition; it begins with lives marked by integrity and love. When leaders fail and systems crumble, those who live with moral authority — humble, truthful, and sacrificial — continue to speak powerfully. Even when we feel unseen, our faithfulness carries a weight that outlasts noise and ambition. Our lives themselves can become a quiet testimony when words seem insufficient.

In such a fractured time, it is tempting to choose sides, to take shelter in factions. But Ethiopia’s healing will not come through deeper divisions. Those who truly seek peace must rise above the pull of partisanship and tribalism. Our allegiance must be to truth and justice for all people, not to the success of one group over another. Healing is possible only when someone is willing to stand for the dignity of every person, refusing to become another weapon in the cycle of bitterness.

Patience, too, becomes an act of hope. Change that matters never happens overnight. In a land with long histories of pain, the seeds of peace must be planted quietly and watered persistently, even when no fruit is visible. Small conversations, hidden prayers, and unseen acts of kindness are not wasted. They are how nations heal — not through force, but through faithful sowing over time.

In a society flooded with fear and anger, we are called to a different voice — one that speaks to conscience, not to fear. Fear shouts; love calls. True peace will not be forced into being by rage or resentment; it must be awakened in the heart. When we appeal to the good in others, we invite them into a higher story, one beyond revenge and despair.

Finally, standing for peace will mean enduring suffering without retaliation. Misunderstanding, rejection, and betrayal are often part of the path. But suffering for truth is not a defeat — it is a sign of faithfulness. Those who endure with love, who refuse to answer hate with hate, are the ones who rebuild what was torn down. In their endurance, hope quietly takes root.

Even when you feel helpless about Ethiopia, remember: you are not powerless. Your faithfulness matters. Your prayers matter. Your love matters. History will not only be shaped by those in power but by countless unseen hearts who choose to keep believing that love is stronger than hate, and light is stronger than darkness.
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Stay faithful. Sow peace. Trust God with the harvest.