Peace Within

May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you....
May you be content knowing you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of you.
St. Theresa

When Maria Shriver spoke at Tim Russert’s memorial service, she quoted the first two lines of this prayer. Those lines jumped out at me, and after watching the service, I came down and looked up the prayer on the internet.

I am currently in the search process for a new church. I have been here for 12 years, and believe I have completed the work I was called to do here. I am ready for new challenges. Daughter needs to be someplace where there are more opportunities. This has been a wonderful place for her to grow up. I praise God for calling us from the inner city to Tiny Village, where Daughter has been safe and free to wander. When she runs away, I know she’s not going to get very far, and that the neighbors will keep an eye on her for me.

Living in Tiny Village also means that she can’t go to the store on her own (closest store is 10 miles away), and there isn’t public transportation to employment opportunities. When we go visit family, she loves being able to walk to the store alone. It would be wonderful if she could have that opportunity all the time. Currently we live about 3 hours from my parents. I would like to move closer to them so that I can offer more assistance and visit without having to camp out in the living room of Dad’s one bedroom apartment. Unfortunately, there aren’t many opportunities in that area right now.

I know that God will call me to the right place at the right time. I know that both of the churches I have served have not been ones I would have sought out, but have been wonderful places to serve and grow. I know that. There are times, though, when I get impatient. There are times when someone pulls some passive-aggressive move over at the church and all I can think is, “I need to be gone now!” Because I’m beginning to look to the future, I find I have much less patience for some of the idiosyncrasies in this community.

That is why the second line of that ancient prayer jumped out at me: “May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.” Just because I’m waiting, it doesn’t mean I’m not where I’m supposed to be today. Indeed, the longer I wait, the better equipped Daughter will be to handle all the changes that will come with a move. Transition and change are very hard on her. The growing maturity I see in her will make the upheaval of a move easier on both of us. Today, as I continue waiting for new opportunites and challenges, there will be peace within. Today, I will serve God where I am, and be grateful for the blessings of Tiny Village.