Running With Perseverance

Last night I had to go straight from work to a meeting at church. I had saved half of a large sandwich from a lunch meeting to eat for dinner, but was seriously craving soup for some reason. Traffic was heavier than I expected, so as I got closer, my options for any dinner were running out. I knew there was a Chicken Out® on my way, and I was pretty sure they had soup, so I decided to stop there.

The chicken noodle soup sounded like the best option: chunks of white meat chicken, whole wheat noodles and the usual vegetables like carrots and celery.  I didn’t check the nutrition information, but it did have their ♥ symbol, which I know identifies healthier choices. And, looking at the nutrition information after the fact, I was right. My 1.5 cup bowl had:

Calories: 211
Fat: 6 g (2 g saturated fat)
Sodium: 396 mg
Fiber: 1 g
Sugar: 3 g
Protein: 30 g

And it was delicious and very filling.

I couldn’t miss the big signs for their “healthier dessert”:

I didn’t have time to try it, but I will be back! It looks like the fruit-only varieties have 275-300 calories, but I’m sure that’s for a generous portion. I’ve been intrigued by this whole “banana soft serve” craze since I first read about it on Tina’s blog (Faith Fitness Fun), but for some reason I still haven’t tried it.

Anyway, I was able to slurp down my soup and make it to my church meeting right on time.

The meeting was an “exploratory” meeting about discerning a vision of pastoral care and spirituality at my church. There were about 20 of us, We sat in a large circle in chairs arranged around a stand with several candles. Once we had greeted each other and gotten settled, we started with a few minutes of silence, and then a prayer.  We reviewed and discussed the “Discernment Listening Guidelines,” and agreed that they create an atmosphere that not only ensures that everyone’s voice will be heard, but also allows room for hearing God’s voice, which is the overarching goal in a discernment process.

Even though we didn’t get very far in developing a “vision” or deciding exactly what we want to do, the experience was enlightening, uplifting and very spiritual. There is something about the practice that stays with me and leaves me in a more peaceful, contemplative state—maybe others experience that with yoga or meditation.

We closed with “A Prayer of Thomas Merton,” which I adore. How can you not pay attention to a prayer that begins:

God, we have no idea where we are going.

In my own words, the message of the prayer is this:

We don’t know what we’re doing, or if we’re doing what God wants us to be doing. But, we are trying, and God appreciates that. We hope that we are doing the right thing, and know that God will lead us in the right direction. So, we put our trust in God, and know that God won’t leave us alone.

Or, even more succinctly:

We muddle along doing our best and trusting that God will save us from the worst!

Do you have a favorite prayer?

Have you tried the banana puree/soft serve?