Sunday Reflections - Peace

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
(John 14:27)

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
(Phil 4:7)

So much is going on in the world today that is disturbing. The economy is struggling and it is affecting so many people - including people close to us. And it is discouraging to see such a lack of leadership from our government - both state and federal.

The Middle East continues to be a tinderbox. The 'small' wars we have seen, I believe, are leading up to a bigger and more serious one.

There is a war going on just South of us in Mexico because of the drug cartels and I believe it is only going to get worse.

Health problems continue to plague so many including several people close to us.

It's hard to imagine peace in the midst of all this - but that's what Jesus promised. However, we have to realize that he said it would be 'his peace,' not the peace that comes from the world. This peace must be something different than what we experience in our natural world. In the world, peace seems to be the absence of turmoil. Somehow, Jesus' peace is peace is the midst of turmoil.

And Jesus goes on to say do not 'let' our hearts be troubled and do not 'be' afraid. This means I have a choice when things seem overwhelming in my life or in the lives of those close to me. I can choose to 'let' my heart be troubled and be afraid, or I can choose to 'let' my heart be at peace - the peace that transcends understanding and can come only from God - and I can choose not to be afraid. The only way I can not be afraid is to reach up and hold the hand of my heavenly Father. As his child in this world there is so much I don't understand, but my Father does and I can trust him.

With my hand in his, I receive that peace that guards my heart - it guards my heart from trouble and it guards it from fear. And, just as important, this same peace guards my mind. It guards my mind from itself - rehearsing all the what-ifs that can happen - and it guards my mind from the enemy who would love to attack me there. The enemy knows that when I am afraid I take my eyes and heart off of God which is what he wants.

Finally, I believe this peace that passes all understanding and comes from God really comes down to faith. And faith is believing and trusting when there is absolutely no reason to believe or trust.


Today is January 18 and if today is your Birthday then you share your day with: Kevin Costner (actor, "Open Range"), Bobby Goldsboro (singer, "Honey"), Danny Kaye (actor, "White Christmas"), Cary Grant (actor, "Father Goose"), Oliver Hardy (comedian, Laurel and Hardy), A. A. Milne (author, "Winnie the Pooh"), and Daniel Webster (American politician).

On this day in 1778 English navigator Captain James Cook discovered the Hawaiian Islands, which he dubbed the "Sandwich Islands." In 1911 the first landing of an aircraft on a ship took place as pilot Eugene B. Ely brought his plane in for a safe landing on the deck of the USS Pennsylvania in San Francisco Harbor. In 1929 "New York Daily Mirror" columnist, Walter Winchell made his debut on radio, broadcasting a blend of political commentary and celebrity gossip to `Mr. and Mrs. America.' In 1936 Su-Lin arrived in San Francisco, California. She was the first giant panda to come to the U.S. from China. The bear was sold to the Brookfield Zoo for $8,750. And in 1943 a wartime ban on the sale of pre-sliced bread in the US -- aimed at reducing bakeries' demand for metal replacement parts -- went into effect.