The Key to Faith, Purpose, & Inner Peace

I will never forget my first call with Molly Lord. When I made the decision to produce a unique self-help film, I began looking for experts who were willing to share their personal stories of transformation. It was important that each expert share something that had affected them profoundly. I knew such stories would be more engaging than the trite sound bites we often hear in self-help or spiritual films. I wanted the stories to pertain to one of seven keys, and my goal was to share stories that would help to illustrate the importance of each of these keys, one of which is the Key of Faith.

It was, understandably, easier for some experts to reveal their stories than it was for others. Molly eventually made the decision to share her story with the world. Her segment on the Key of Faith still affects me so deeply that whenever I see it, I am moved to tears. In fact, I love sharing her story with people I encounter when they are at a point where they are questioning their religious faith, faith in the Universe, faith in themselves, or even their sense of purpose.

When Molly was a young girl, her family would spend the summers at Chautauqua Lake in New York State. It was there, on July 21, 1969, that she watched Neil Armstrong walk on the moon. She marveled as he took that historic first step and thought to herself, “I want to do THAT!”

Music had always played an important part in Molly’s life, so it was no surprise that years later, Molly found her career path teaching music. Imagine Molly’s excitement when President Reagan, in 1984, announced that NASA was launching their “Teacher in Space” project (TISP). The idealistic program was designed to inspire students, honor teachers, and spur interest in mathematics, science, and space exploration.

Molly took great pains applying. The original entrance exam was a long, detailed essay question. She soon received word that she had made it past the first cut. She absolutely knew her childhood dream was coming true. She later made it past the second cut, as well, and felt the Universe was confirming that this was going to be her new, exciting path.

Molly was on her way to achieving her dream of going into space where her life would have meaning and she would find her purpose. She would soon be sharing lessons from space with students around the world. So, when she failed to make the third cut, she thought NASA and “Divine Intelligence” had made a huge mistake.

About a year later, she and her students watched the space shuttle Challenger take off, with teacher Christa McAuliffe on board. It soon became apparent that something had gone terribly wrong. Molly’s legs felt weak and she thought, “This can not be happening….”

In the movie, “The Keeper of the Keys”, Molly reflects on how interesting it is that we work so hard to manifest certain things in our lives and how we are so sure that we control our destiny. “Yet,” she says, “there is this partnership with Infinite Intelligence and I felt it was important to put this into place. Without this partnership, it’s as if we are merely a vessel, floating aimlessly on the sea. This was a pivotal point in my life; this was the point at which I faced this thing called ‘faith.’”

Perhaps Molly didn’t make it into TISP simply so she could share her story of faith with the world. I know it resonates with me constantly. I also get to witness the effect Molly’s story has on others … those who have either questioned why their dreams haven’t come true the way they had hoped or, perhaps, they wish they could connect with a stronger sense of purpose in their own lives. In some cases, they are deeply moved seeing and hearing her story because they, too, have had an experience in their lives that removed all doubt about the existence of a higher power and the importance of having faith.

Can you think of those times when you couldn’t find your keys or glasses, and ended up leaving the house a few minutes late? Do you ever think the reason could be larger than just not being able to find your keys? What if leaving the house earlier may have resulted in your getting into an accident? What if leaving earlier would cause some type of catastrophe somewhere else in the world? Remember all the random stories that emerged after 9/11, where people were originally frustrated because they were running late, only to discover later that their tardiness actually saved their lives? We need to have faith that we are here for a reason, that we serve a divine purpose, and that we are all connected.

Whether the simplest of things seem to go wrong, or the big, make-or-break events – like flying to the moon – don’t come to fruition, those are the times when we need to remember the “Key of Faith,” and realize there is a bigger reason why things happen as they do. It can be frustrating when we don’t know the reason why things do - or do not - happen. Having faith will ease those frustrations and make a positive difference in our lives.