We have a custom in our church of passing the peace. This consists of the congregation shaking hands with their neighbor and saying, ‘peace be with you.’ I have not really thought about what we are saying to each other and wishing for each other until today.
A wonderful lady in the church wished me peace and then said, ‘you do not understand how great that wish is until you do not have it.’ I responded that I not only agreed with her but that I had experienced what it was like to not have peace.
On numerous occasion in my life I have felt the lack of peace. Peace is not a rubber stamp for christians. It is a daily seeking of God’s plan for your life and a giving of our worries to his care.
I have been in work situations that gave me great anxiety. Having much responsibility and no authority is a killer of peace.
I have witnessed illness stalk my family and I have spent many sleepless nights worrying about the outcome.
When my sons are unhappy…I am unhappy…and I rack my brain trying to come up with a solution to their dilemmas!
Perhaps you are in a marriage where you are not appreciated and your best…is never good enough?
It could be that your best efforts at making a living for your family…falls short of your bills and commitments and the needs of those that your are responsible for?
Is your supervisor treating you like chattel? Are you expected to conduct yourself like a wholly owned subsidiary of the boss?
Do you seek to be heard…do you have an opinion that that varies from the politically correct one?
Would you like to be acknowledged for who your, really, are? Would you like to be recognized for your place in society…whether it is Gay or Straight…Black or Hispanic or a member of the multitude of cultures that make up the melting pot of the United States of America?
Would you like to hold your head high in the congregation of the human family and say that, I am transgender and I am proud of who I am…and this is me!’
Would you like to say that I have a mental illness and I am alright and I am whole…and I am part of your community….all I desire is acceptance!
When God talks to you and reveals truths for your life and peace to your soul…would you like to share that with others without judgment and dogma entering the conversation?
Peace is like the firefly that we attempted to capture in jars when we were children. It is fragile and dainty and a bit like fairy dust. It exists for a moment in time…and then must be sought anew!
The Happy Traveler 