Yesterday at Rotary the person who was supposed to lead the spiritual reflection was unable to attend. And when they asked for a volunteer, no one spoke up and all eyes turned to me. As far as I am concerned it doesn’t take special skill to find God’s presence in the world. So I like to wait before I am volunteered for a few minutes to give everyone a chance. And no one wanted to be on the spot. So I walked up to the podium. I had had a pretty stressful morning. Suddenly there are a million things going on and I was feeling behind. I don’t like to feel behind. So as I am trying to come up with something to say walking to the front of the room, my mind was full of anxiety and negativity, which never translates into a hopeful message. I basically told God (and I mean told) to speak through me. And out came this story of being a little overwhelmed but realizing how many people are ready to be there and help, that we are a part of a community of care, that we never have to feel alone or overwhelmed. People were nodding their heads and smiling. All good.
I learned/was reminded of two things in that moment. The first is that God is there, ready to help, always with a message of hope. I just had to get out of the way and trust the good to come. Along with that, God is always telling me just what I need to hear.
The second thing is the truth that we are not alone. That moment gave me the energy to organize several things that are looming and a little intimidating to me. When I started asking for help, people said yes. Not everyone, which is fine, but a lot of help and support started coming in. And I thought to myself, I could make my life easier by just trusting in the first place rather than having to give a public prayer about it.
So, here is your reminder. Ask and you shall receive. You are never alone. God is a God of hope and gives you what you need to do what you are called to do.
Amen!