As I said in the key story, I “rarely” shared the things that inspired me as a child. This was in part because I was afraid to share. Yet from the responses I got from the key story, it seems that many children are inspired by stories of people who love heroically and inspired by people they know, particularly parents, grandparents, brothers, and sisters.

Several people recalled for me the value of simple, heart-felt prayer (“God, help me!” in the key story). Several people also mentioned how God had worked in unexpected ways in their lives. Surprising help or insight came, not so much out of the blue, but out of the unexpected corners of life that could have been overlooked. One person quoted Jeremiah the prophet, “When you look for me [God], you will find me. Yes, when you seek me with all your heart, you will find me with you.”

Several people spoke of the joy and hope that comes from God’s amazing work in their lives. But of course we all struggle with God. For example, I sometimes think that I don’t have what I need, to the things I feel called to do. So I must remind myself of something a friend said to me about a big journey he needed to make: “I keep asking God for a plane, but it looks like God’s just giving me skates. But I know God answers prayers, so I’m thinking that I have what I need for today, and it’s time to start skating.”

I and others have asked, “But how does God work in our lives?” The best answer I have is that God acts in God’s own way, not tied down in any way, the Spirit blows where the Spirit wills, yet in love God is always steadfast.

Another person reflecting on the difficulty of life and power of goodness in life said, “I do believe in a Higher Power who works to guide things towards our benefit.” Of course, we need to do our part too.

Another friend spoke about how prayer has always been natural and spontaneous in her life but that she struggled with God’s apparent silence. Thinking more she said, “I have seemingly been led to be with the right people and in the right places for great things to happen in my life.” Then reflecting further she continued, “Wait! That’s it. It’s as if God is saying right now, ‘Duh, I’m speaking to you! And you know it and recognize me, too!’ I guess I should stop waiting for a person in white robes to sit down and have a conversation with me. Maybe no words are needed at all.”

But why should we worry about God at all? Isn’t what we see in life enough? Why invent God? I have no argument with the many wonderful people, who are agnostics or atheists, because even with my best efforts I am unable to comprehend or describe God. Yet I must try because I do know, however incompletely, that God worries about each of us – and wonder of wonders God is deeply and infinitely in love with each of us for our own good. Another person shared what she has learned about people and I think it reflects in many ways God’s passion for each of us: “My face holds tears because love knocks me over and squeezes me tight. And I wish people in the whole world knew each other more closely. Last semester, I suddenly was able to word this more clearly – the power I felt coming from [realizing] … that every person has lived through moments that squeezed till their eyes brimmed over and poured tears. Every person – the kids in our class, our neighbors, our cousins and brothers and sisters, me – have lived through experiences we can’t imagine: experiences where their hearts cried out, and they made brave decisions – that no one ever knew of but they did so still. I want to love each person for these experiences and hug them for they are amazing. And even before I have heard a person’s story, I can appreciate, believe in, and love them because I know there is a genuine soul inside them.”

Thanks for everyone’s reflections, smiles, and words! I learned a lot – let’s keep sharing …