Prayers

This week I received a newsletter that contained a prayer by Thomas Merton:

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this, you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore, I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

This spoke powerfully to me, as I look at the possibility of moving. I have placed it where I can see it every day. It will help me through these days of uncertainty.

Daughter came to me to talk about her anxiety yesterday. She was worrying about so many different things. I made her get some paper and write down the things she was worrying about. Of course the possibility of a move was near the top of her list. I handed her an envelope on which I had written, "God." I had her fold up the paper and seal it inside the envelope. "You have given your worries to God now. He'll take care of them for you. They are still here, and you can come back to see them if you'd like, but for now, they are in God's hands and God will take care of them."

.

Now I was not at all sure this would work, but she did as I instructed (complaining about the taste of the glue on the envelope), and got up to do her chores. At least for last night there was no more mention of anxiety, and her tremors were much improved. I hope that this will help her cope with her stress and ease her anxiety.

.

Change is hard for most people, but for Daughter, it is especially hard. I know that this will be an ongoing struggle as we approach moving. I wish I could tell her something more concrete, but for now, we're both going to have to live in the midst of the uncertainty, trusting that God will take us to the right place at the right time. For Daughter, who continues to struggle with trust, it will be especially hard.