The search for Peace

With all the different events taking place in our world currently there is a search for inner peace in all of our lives. Not sure what brings you to the spot where you are able to relax instead of “running around like a chicken with you head cut off”. For those who are wondering, yes, chickens can and do run when their heads have been cut off. The expression comes from mountain life when someone has just “rung” a chicken’s neck or cut it off in preparation for stewing or frying up the hen. Having witnessed this activity there is no sense in a chickens running or flopping around, it just goes until is yields itself over to the greater cause of being eaten.
Life can put us as human in that type of crazy spin too. Pressure from our jobs at work, or a stressed personal relationship can bring on lots of stuff that can easily get out of control in our lives. Searching for peace when those moments seem to have control is not easy. We never want to surrender our commitment to press through such moments but the weight of the issues sometimes can sure bend us into shapes we thought our emotions and bodies could not bend to or experience.
The Bible talks about peace and while for some it is hard to place your finger on peace when you are just learning the ropes of your new personal relationship with Jesus Christ but for those of us who have years of walking and talking with Jesus we should be a more stable pillar during the storms of life. One of the great moments of personal growth for me is recognizing in the midst of my storm that He is there. It is difficult to explain the feeling when things are going wild yet you are calm and are able to see beyond the present moment to the future in trust through faith. I know a pastor today who was forced out of his place of service and after a year and a half of waiting he found the next door of opportunity. He said, “it was so peaceful talking with the leadership of the church, I knew this was the right place for us to move to”. Who likes being fired, no one I know, but peace can still be found. The loss of a loved one unexpectedly can shake us to the core. I recent discussion with a friend whose husband had just died, leaving her to raise 4 daughters is a daunting task, but yet, she is finding peace even in the challenges she is facing. Not the types of issues we want to talk about, but perfect issues for us to individually find peace through if we walk with Him in faith.
I seldom give direct personal advice in this column, rather I write most often about options and positions of faith but in this column I want to share some specific locations for peace you too can find. Music has always been a source, from the harps of the Bible to the piano and guitar of our day, there can be a refuge and strength if we will let the melodies fill our heart. Poetry is always encouraging even when we probe for an answer that causes us to read it over and over again. The memorization of scripture, a verse that was shared by a friend with their explanation of peace in its meaning can be a ray of sunshine in a dark day.
The option for peace is available but the discovery is not at the lucky find at the end of a rainbow. Peace comes because of a commitment to a relationship built on trust and respect. Peace comes because of our exercise of discipline and action to help others before ourselves. Peace comes through listening and waiting, not rushing and knocking things down or over to find your answer. Often times we don’t have peace because we demand to remain in charge.

Until then