When There is Peace
A lot of people will have peace today. They will not know it, though. They will borrow worry and heartache from others, give all of their day away, and there will be no example left to follow of what to do with peace.
For some, they must borrow from the past. They cannot erase those who once abused them, those who once held them without the benefit of peace. She did, he did, they did, it happened nudges its way in each morning and replaces the call of the morning birds or the beauty of the earth or sky. Horrors of the past should be marked. What can be done should be done. But the greatest healing is in giving away the pain, marking it like you would an area where something burned to the ground. Stand and look at it, there in its blackness and ruin. Never forget. But file it away in your brain’s memory, not in today’s heart. Today, just for the moment, enjoy something. A cup of coffee, a breeze, a pretty outfit, or a smile and “Good morning!” sent your way. Those who escaped deserve peace. Make a moment yours, you brave, surviving heart.
Some borrow from the world. Who is hurting and we do not all hurt? Who lies and we are not all frustrated? But if the hurting had a moment of peace, we would want them to enjoy it. If the liar knew better, he would not be lying. Something in his heart is amiss. Enjoy peace in the name of those hurting. Pray they have a moment today—a hug, the calm of others praying for them, or a moment with a loved one. Show them the value of peace by treasuring it, by knowing that, for right now, you hold it. There is no orb of glory greater than a moment of true peace. The liar cannot feel it. The impulse that causes the lie has no place for peace. Pity them, pray for them, and turn and breathe.
Because of our natures, we fill today’s peace with tomorrow’s problems. Even when we have peace, we think up all of the ways it could go. We could be at war. We could be refugees, immigrants, the abused, the sick, the one in pain. And we may be tomorrow. But if you have that rare beauty of health and wholeness, use it. Let it strengthen your soul for the day ahead when the pain is bad, the day is dark, or the times are unsettling.
Others want your peace, make no mistake. They want you to worry, to be afraid, to feel that tightness in the middle of your stomach. They want you to think you must make them your king, your source of knowledge, your commander of feelings. You must hang on what they say and worry. Often, they actually are not worried. They are just making money or taking power where they see it—in stealing peace. The parent that says, “I could die” to get what they want, the politico who says, “It’s a crisis!” the mate who yells, “It’s all your fault!” It is not up to you who lives and dies. It is not up to you whose power works out best. It is not up to you to make your mate happy—that is, in fact, theirs to work out. If you are offering peace, holding peace, loving others and praying for all, you have done your job.
Many times, we give our peace to world leaders. Most of us will never move world events. Those who chase that opportunity can deal with it. They are not poor, misunderstood souls searching for good. They are power brokers who worked hard to get where they are and who asked to deal with the pressures when they asked to have the position. Do not worry over them. They got up rich and powerful and will go to bed the same way. Do not give them your peace. They asked for your vote, give it if you think that is right. But let them deal with their pressures. They will go home to a dinner made by someone else in a house where they paid for huge amounts of open air to exist around them. They think that space makes them special. It actually shows how much they are taking out of the world. Do not mourn over their trials. If you need to feel sorry for something, make it the single mother or the lone man. Give them a lift, if it’s only paying for their morning coffee. Work on what you can do. There is no peace in worrying about the rich, famous, and powerful, even though they have a world platform where they can cry and moan about their many troubles. If you were not asked to have part in their wealth and power, why should you give up your peace for their troubles?
For right this minute, what is on your heart? Is it the dead? The dead belong to God. When I lost someone close, I thought about her every day for two years. But it was my loss. She was done with work, with worry, with this life. She walks where we cannot go. You will see those you have lost in the clouds, in the flowers, in the breeze. King David said of his lost infant, “I will go to him, but he will not return to me.” Honor them in holding the peace of a day. Show them you learned to be whole and free. There is no greater victory for them and for you than cherishing a moment of peace.
If, for this moment, you have food and clothing and warmth and love or the memory of love, hold it fast. It is a gift, you know, from the very God of heaven. He passed it to you, and you can pass it to others. And that is worth a moment of celebration.