As I prayed this morning, and as I do most mornings, I asked God:

What are you calling me to do today?

Often, the “stuff” of the day – and my own humanness – blocks out my ability to hear God answer.

Today, however, I sensed God was calling me to listen. He often does, but in this case he seemed to be calling in a much deeper way.

In the midst of all the stress and anxiety in our lives, and the lives of those we love, am I really taking the critical time to be still – and listen?

What are you calling me to do today?

A new surge in COVID-19 positives, growing racial unrest, double-digit unemployment rates, never-ending social isolation and distancing… the list continues to grow.

And so, trust takes a back seat to fear. And the fear magnifies.

All too often, sadly, the fear is replaced by anger.

Am I listening less? Are we all listening less? To each other? To God?

Are we trusting less? Why?

Are we praying more? Or, are we not? Why not?

As the fear literally overwhelms us, can we stop – and breathe?

Can we be still – and listen… and pray… and trust again?

What are you calling me to do today?

We know our God is loving and merciful.

We know that He has not abandoned us.

We know (don’t we?) that God is walking beside us… listening to us… letting us know that we are not alone.

How can we bring peace, to our families, our friends, our colleagues, and to our homeless young people – unless we are at peace?

And so we pledge to be still – and listen.