The Prayer that Suffices

It is reported that Meister Eckhart, a medieval Christian once said, “If the only prayer you say in your whole life is ‘Thank you,’ that would suffice.”

People who know me, know that I am, by nature, a complainer. I am also a pessimist. I think these two personality traits go hand in hand. It’s not that I am all gloom and doom all the time, but I do tend to look for the downside of things and experiences. By doing this, I believe that I am only preparing myself for the inevitable. So, when things go bad, as they often do, I have already braced myself for it. Of course, since I am rarely disappointed, I also find myself with plenty of material about which I can complain.

You can see, I am sure, what a vicious circle this can become. I wish I were different. I wish I could see the silver lining behind every cloud, but instead I am always looking for the dark thunderhead in front of the faint glimmer that gives everyone else hope. My current situation is a perfect example of this.

I am hoping that when appointment time comes next Spring, I will be able to move closer to my daughter’s home. Desiree and her mom moved from Tamaqua, PA to Lewisburg, PA this past August, and while I am happy for them (My ex is now living in the town where she works so she has less traveling time and more time to spend with Desiree, Lewisburg is a picturesque small town and home to Bucknell University, and Desiree has settled beautifully into her new home and school), it has made things more difficult for me. Instead of being an hour and fifteen minutes away, Desiree is now two and a half hours away from me. My weekly visits are now all-day affairs (see there I go complaining again). Suffice it to say, before I get carried away, that it would nice to be closer.

There are two options. One, I could seek a new appointment in my current conference (Eastern Pennsylvania), or two, I could try to transfer to the Central Pennsylvania Conference. The problem with the first option is that there are probably less than 10 churches in our conference that could both pay my current salary and get me substantially closer to Lewisburg. The problem with the second option is that, according to the Dean of the Cabinet of the Conference, Central Pennsylvania over the past few years has taken in only one or two transfers in each of those years.

Naturally, I am inclined to be pessimistic about my chances of getting much closer to Desiree. Yes, it is only October. Yes, I am a good pastor and am able to serve in a variety or settings and churches. Yes, any number of things can happen between now and next Spring that may help me in this endeavor. But, given who I am, I am not hopeful. And that is the case for me when it comes to so many other things in my life, be they personal, professional, or church related.

So, what to do . . .

I could complain about the chances that I have to move closer to Desiree, or I could thank God for the opportunity to serve him wherever I am.

I could complain about the amount of time and paperwork it took to get ready for yesterday’s Charge Conference, and about the fact that so few people actually showed up (it was Saturday afternoon though), or I could thank God that the Conference is actually over and that I had a good conversation with my District Superintendent.

I could complain about the time it takes to visit my daughter, or I could thank God that we have a good relationship and that she actually wants to see her dad. I also could thank God for the surprise call I got from her Sunday afternoon and for the great talk we had, as well as the fact that I will see her smiling face again this Thursday and over the next weekend.

I could complain about the untimely and tragic death of one of my church members recently, lifting up to God how unfair this was of him to take Dick at this time, or I could thank God for the fact that I got to know Dick over these past seven years, that I got to experience his Dick’s kindness and gentleness firsthand.

I could on, but I think you get the idea. I will never be a “Meister Eckhart,” but I can try to move, ever so slowly and tentatively, from complaining to thanksgiving. I could, from time to time, offer up that simple prayer that suffices: “Thank you.”

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