Stop and feel the Peace

“Apart from me you can do nothing.”  John 15:5

As I make my way through the first month with my  word for the year, there have been plenty of lessons.  The biggest red flag I’ve been getting is STOP trying to do it all, fix it all, be a part of it all.  In other words, keep your nose in your own business!  There have been a couple of times I’ve turned things over or bowed out and then thought…who said that?  The blessing of those actions is peace and it’s wonderful.  I’m not “cured” but I sure enjoy the feeling and just this week there have been three really big confirmations that this “stop and feel peace” thing is where he’s leading me. He’s letting me know that if I shut up and step away a bit more the world won’t fall apart!  I think I had the ridiculous notion that being peaceful meant I was being lazy…he’s working on me for sure!  Here’s what he plunked before my eyes this week.

Peace lesson #1:  Peace, it does not mean to be in a place where there is no trouble, noise or hard work.  It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.  Lady Gaga

Peace lesson #2:  A Snow day!  It was a surprise, it was familiar (not much is this year) and it was so quiet and beautiful.  I wasn’t on the farm worrying about animals or living in a house with 30 years of projects and things to dust, polish or sort.  It was just peaceful…I didn’t feel the need to race to school and re-do bulletin boards or organize the pile on the corner of my desk or work ahead on lesson plans.  It was simply the gift of a found day and a rest for my brain and I saw it and appreciated it for just that!

Peace lesson #3  Shannon is reading a book by Fr. Jacques Philippe about…you guessed it, peace. She had just started reading it and without even knowing about my “personal peace journey” she shared this passage.  “Consider the surface of a lake, above which the sun is shining.  If the surface of the lake is peaceful and tranquil, the sun will be reflected in this lake; and the more peaceful the lake, the more perfectly will it be reflected.  If, on the contrary, the surface of the lake is agitated, rough and unsettled, then the image of the sun can not be reflected.”

Realizing that I can do NOTHING without him, it seems the more I let him do and the less I try to do myself then the greater my peace.  I thought that was a gift for me but as I pray on the words from Fr. Jacques I realize it’s not about me at all.  Our job as disciples is to be Christ to others so if I’m like that unsettled lake, I’m not living in such a way that others can see his reflection.  I think I’m going to have to borrow Shannon’s book so we can learn all about exactly how we achieve this  peace of heart.

A Seed To Plant:  Make a list of things that wrinkle up your peace and ask the Lord to smooth them out so we can reflect his love.

Blessings on your day!