A prayer written by Lory Livezey, inspired by a sermon by Bill Youngkin

When I was growing up, not only did we have only one telephone, but we had what was called a "party line", sharing that phone line with the neighbors on our street. We had one TV with four channels, batteries were used only in flashlights and calculators, and 8-track tapes were not scratched into disuse when they were piled on top of one another. I often think about how life has changed since those days, as I am searching for the ear peace for my cell phone, untangling the knot of cables plugged into my cigarette lighter, to answer my phone before my very important call drops into voice mail. At times I can’t help but think that in 1986, this person would try calling me again later, and not give it a second thought.

In the noise and clatter twenty years later, I find it more and more difficult to balance the most important things in my life, and to find that place in the center where I can find peace and hear God’s voice. Since I have been thinking more and more about how to balance my own life, Pastor Bill Youngkin’s words caught my attention as he talked about impatience, and having enough anger to propel us into action. The week before, he had talked about "waiting" and having patience, and it struck me that like many things, this was about balance. "We need to channel our anger", he said. "Our anger should have a purpose." With that, I began to scribble all over my bulletin, and what I ended up with, I decided, was really a "prayer":

Lord, help me….

…to live enough to save a legacy of memories for old age

…to love enough to help others through their darkness

…to be happy enough to find good in all things

…to be sad enough to know the pain of others

…to be angry enough to answer my call to action

…to be strong enough to feel the depths of my own emotions

…to know enough to view the unknown with a sense of awe and wonder

…to be wise enough to hear the wisdom of others

…to be thankful enough to give without expectations

…to be truthful enough to help others become better versions of themselves

…to be humble enough to accept the truth in myself

…to say enough to leave plenty of time for listening

…to forgive enough to find my own inner peace

…to forget enough to allow others the mistakes of their humanity

…to remember enough to look back at the past and smile

…to pray and be silent enough to hear God’s voice---

…in the space between the words

…in the gap between the thoughts

...in the place beyond the noise