Retirement Party Conversations

 

I spent Saturday afternoon at a retirement party for a friend.

 

In many ways, the party was like a family reunion—or a time-warp—seeing people from a past life, picking up where we left off, genuinely happy to be in one another’s presence, quickly catching up to present day.

 

While most of the conversations were surface-level—which they often are at a floating gathering with lots of people—a few conversations went very deep.

 

Here are snippets of two actual conversations from the day:

 

“Person One: I don’t understand the purpose of prayer. I do it. I pray all the time. But I don’t understand its purpose.

 

Person Two, thinking: Communion with God?

 

Person One: Hmm…That’s a good thought…But…If, when we pray, we influence God to change God’s mind, then it seems that we have power over God—that the person with the best prayers wins. And that doesn’t seem right. But, if, when we pray, our prayers don’t influence God at all, and God is in “control,” then it seems like we’re just puppets living out what has been pre-ordained for us. And that doesn’t seem right either. 

 

Person Two: There is major tension there, between the two extremes. It can’t be one or the other, it has to be somewhere there in the middle.

 

Person Three to Person Two: You’re a mom, right? You probably have plans for your children? You know what’s best for them and make plans accordingly? But sometimes things don’t go as planned, so you leave wiggle room to change your mind? That seems like how it is with God.

 

Person Two: Yes. But God is unchanging. The same today, yesterday, and tomorrow…”

 

Then someone else joined the conversation and we veered toward another topic.

 

“Person Four: If money weren’t an issue, and I could do anything I wanted to do, I would…[and Person Four continued sharing about her dreams.]

 

Person One: That’s a good question to ask everyone. Person Two, what would you do if money weren’t an issue?

 

Person Two: I don’t know. Looking back, I see that I’ve accomplished a lot of the goals I set out for myself, and now that I’m here, I don’t know where I want to go or what I want to do. I’ve tried to write a five-year plan, but nothing comes. I really don’t know what I’d do.

 

Person One: What about you, Person Three, what would you do if money weren’t an issue?

Person Three: I have no idea. I just try to live in today.”

 

Oh God:

For those who have left their mark on our lives in powerful ways, hear our prayer.

For those who don’t understand the purpose of prayer, hear our prayer.

For those who have a dream but don’t know how to get there, here our prayer.

For those who have forgotten how to dream, hear our prayer.

For those who inspire us to live fully in this day, hear our prayer.

For you are God, and you are big enough for all of it—for all of us—always.

Amen.