In this Place...

As I sat in church this morning, for the first time in many weeks, I cried as our priest delivered his message. Father Kevin spoke of seeing Jesus in the everyday things and people around us and went on to describe the many ways he sees Jesus in us and our church. As I listened to the message, my eyes drifted to the front pew where I sat quietly and prayed with my Dad on my wedding day. In this place I went from single girl to wife.

My eyes moved to the altar where I took my vows and back to the baptismal font at the entrance of the nave where my daughter was baptized into the church, in this place we went from a couple to a family.

As I listened to Father Kevin talk about the things we do as a community, I was transported back to my first Easter at Trinity where the Stations of the Cross moved me again to tears thinking about Jesus’ love for us. In this place, the cross became very real to me.

I looked around and saw all of my church family in the pews listening together and it hit very hard that we are leaving this place. Trinity has been such a cornerstone to my life in Longview from my first visits, to my confirmation, to our pre-marital counseling, to our wedding day, through our struggle to conceive, to the joy over our daughter, Trinity has been there. I have seen Jesus in this place.

I feel ungrateful as I cry while writing this because God has blessed us and kept us through years of uncertainty in our business and months of unemployment. Now he has blessed our family again with a good job in Bedford. My heart rejoices over the new opportunities we will find in our new home, but it also breaks for the place I must leave behind. I know this move is part of God’s plan and I am ready to follow the plan, but it sure does not make the leaving any easier. I will treasure the friendships I have made in this special place called Trinity and will hold them close in my heart as we move forward looking to God as he makes our paths clear.

One of our scriptures for today was from 1 Samuel 3 where Samuel hears God’s call and thinks Eli is calling him. In the end Eli realizes that the Lord is calling Samuel and finally Samuel says to God when he hears his voice again, "Speak, for your servant is listening”

God has called us to a new place and we are listening.

Until next time...