Last Sunday was Mother's Day. Each year I remember and reaffirm how grateful I am for the love and guidance I have received from the mother-figures in my life.  My own mother, who died far too young some twenty-seven years ago, gave me unconditional love and acceptance.  I am moved by the power and grace with which the mother of my children fulfills her role in the life of my family. 

Mother's Day prompts memories of mothers reading to their children.  One of those memorable stories for me is The Runaway Bunny (written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clement Hurd).  It is the story of a young bunny who wants to run away from home, but each place he considers running, his mother assures him she will come and find him.  I see the little bunny exploring his fears and checking out with his loving parent that she will be with him at each fearful place.

We live in a time of great cultural and individual stress!  The economy, the climate crisis, and all the personal challenges and uncertainties we face can prey on our emotions and bring an unhealthy amount of stress to our lives. Sometimes I find myself lying awake in the middle of the night, like the little bunny, exploring the places of fear in my mind - some real and some imagined. 

Fear plays an important role in our lives-warning us of real dangers. But fear can overwhelm and distract us from living life fully. When fear calls the shots in life, it can produce confusion especially in terms of two very important questions: "Who am I?" and "What do I want?" The first of these questions involves choosing to live from the core of our lives rather than at the periphery:  seeking our own identity as individuals rather than looking to others to tell us who we are. The second of these questions involves the focus of our lives:  "What we are most passionate about dreaming and doing?"

To live with a clear sense of identity and intentionality is not easy at all. There are significant risks and we need to accept the consequences of the choices we make. It is a statement of faith that God has made us to be fully human and full partners with God in shaping this world. To be a full partner means becoming a whole self and living life according to the vision we see.  

Faith can lead us beyond the idea that God will protect us, like the Mother Bunny, from what frightens or challenges us.  The promise of faith is that God is always present. We're never abandoned.  God's presence is most often perceived in the loving support of community. There are always resources for the journey, but each of us must find them and use them. We choose our answers to life's most basic questions and our choices make all the difference.

Thanks for continuing to bless me as we journey together.
  
Jack Price

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