Minister's Letter

What is beyond our reach?  I recently quit a teaching assignment at one school so that I could better focus on the other.  During a visit with a spiritual mentor of mine, I came to tears thinking, "Surely I can do it all.  There is such great need to do this work with children in DC!"  To this, my mentor said, "You're not Jesus!"

That threw me off.  I was actually very disturbed she suggested I was trying to be Jesus, probably because so many people do harm in the name of Jesus.  People are so driven by the thought of how pure of purpose Jesus was...

So, instead of asking myself, "What would Jesus Do"--a common saying people have to guide their actions--I ask, "What would I do?"  How can I be flawed and still stay afloat AND feel joy in my work  AND fulfill the small and very human purposes I have for myself: take care of my children, preach with faith and conviction, take time out to think about all this...

In fact, many things are beyond our reach.  We UU's know how best to move past this, though.  We are driven by each other and by our own conscience to move toward joy in life. 

May it be so for you,

Amen.