I have a difficult time dealing with uncertainty and our lives are filled with that today. Recently, I came across a prayer that is attributed to St. Therese of Liseaux (though some believe that Minnie Louise Haskins is the actual author). Here are the opening lines to the poem:
“May today there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be.”
With all that’s going on in the world today, I do find it difficult to trust that I’m exactly where I need to be.
You might be going through great suffering and have a heavy weight on you, but you’re supposed to trust that you’re exactly where you need to be? I can understand if such trust doesn’t sit well with you.
When I look back over my life, the harder I struggle and try to fight against the situation I’m in, the worse things became for me. Each and every time, I found peace by letting go of the situation. When I was sick, I needed to accept my sickness and then work to do everything I could to get well.
If you do not believe in God or think that the universe is “out to get you,” then I expect this is going to be difficult for you to trust.
In my darkest of times, I did not want to accept that I was exactly where I was meant to be. If anything, all I wanted was to run away and get out of the situation. I wanted too much to be free of the pain, suffering, and hurt.
Finding peace within and trusting that you are in the exact part of your journey that you’re supposed to be on is difficult. Our lives aren’t pre-determined and yet how can we come to terms with where we are today and how to reconcile with where we want to go.
The more we try to push and rush our healing, the more of a struggle we will have.
If anything, all we need to do is to let go. Do the work, move forward, and give ourselves the space to heal.
I can’t lie to you: I also struggle with acceptance. When families members are sick or pass away and I’m hurting, I’m not happy with where I am on my journey. The road can be painful and all I want to do is to move on.
But maybe there isn’t any secret. Maybe admitting and acknowledging that we’re struggling and in a difficult place is exactly what “may you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be” means.
Today might be hard, but tomorrow the road moves onward and us with it—if we let go and are prepared to grow.
Like what you’ve read? Be sure to check out my other posts in my Let Go and Be Free blog.