And the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7
My peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. John 14:27
Glory to God in the highest. And on earth peace, good will to men. Luke 2:14
What’s your favorite word? I think mine is PEACE. It’s not too long, not hard to pronounce, not hard to spell. It has its own simple hand gesture that spreads good will. It has its own circular symbol that transcends languages. It means that all is well. Aaaahhhhh….
When do you feel peace? I find it in a lot of places. Right now I feel it while sitting in my comfy, Lazy boy leather recliner with my feet up, computer in my lap, IPad at my elbow and Bible tucked in by my hip. My view is NFL on the big screen, family photos, art prints bought from various travels. Through the glass panes on my back door I see plants on the deck drinking up the rain, tops of crepe myrtles in the Dove Loop median barely starting to leaf turn to red and beyond that giant oaks shade the monuments of Grapevine Cemetery with actual puddles brimming by their roots.
Each Sunday morning I find peace in the sanctuary of the church. We sing the songs of praise; we hear words of scripture and words of a sermon to give us questions and meditations for the week ahead. We receive comfort and encouragement from friends’ greetings, we join in communal prayer for those names listed in the bulletin, and we become a visual, physical presence of the body of Christ. Today we reflected in the light of colors from the newly installed and dedicated stained glass panels. They are beautiful reminders of God’s call to us to join him (Jesus calling the fishermen to be his disciples) and God’s promise to take care of us (Noah and his family bringing animal pairs to the ark). I really like the dogs waiting at attention in the corner of the window and I think of Chelsea when I see the elephants.
Back in July when we were visiting at Travis and Chelsea’s house in Redstone CO, I jotted notes in my Ipad while sitting outside. Those thoughts seem to fit in this piece: Peaceful, easy feeling – go to bed at night with windows open listening to the quiet sounds of the Crystal river full with melted snow rushing over granite boulders. Daytime peace is found sitting in the hillside garden wild with flowers and dive bombing hummingbirds while dogs nuzzle under your relaxed hands begging for love pats. Thunder pulls your eyes skyward where grey clouds merge into a triangular ceiling between surrounding peaks. Don’t really want to leave this place but my other life will call me too soon.
Other places of peace: Grapevine Lake (not on Labor Day or Fourth of July), wherever a baby is sleeping, Grapevine Botanical Gardens – with its flowers, fountain, koi pond, ancient oak tree, a library, golf courses, spas, bath tub, pedicure foot soak and massage chair, art museums, the land at Throckmorton with its open fields and open sky, mountain scenes, desert scenes, wildlife spotted in the wild.
Join me in enjoying my favorite word. Find your favorite locations for peace. Go there again in person or go there again in your mind.
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