Peace

Peace has been on my mind this week. I started the week working on the pictured stole that will be offered on eBay beginning tonight. Maybe these symbols of God's love caused the Spirit to heighten my awareness and thinking of peace? For example, one of the books I'm currently reading is The New Good Life: Living Better Than Ever In An Age of Less by John Robbins. Robbins is from the Baskin and Robbins ice cream family. His book is not on the subject on peace per se but rather his story of why he chose not to inherit his family fortune. This author goes against the grain of popular American culture to embrace a lifestyle focused beyond money and status. While enjoying this read and believing in these principles I am seeing how his choices have created peace in his life. A lesson to be admired and learned from!


Another awareness came to me in my yoga class yesterday. Of course yoga itself equates peace but interestingly my instructor referred to the lotus blossom as a peace symbol. Even though I was struggling through my tree pose my ears perked up because Carrot Top Studio employs symbols and colors in everything we do. Symbols interest me! My instructor went on to explain that the lotus flower grows in muddy water and rises above the surface to bloom with remarkable beauty. At night the flower closes and sinks underwater, at dawn it rises and opens again. Untouched by the impurity, the lotus symbolizes the purity of heart and mind and the peace that is found through this purity. We've had requests over the years for the lotus bloom on a ministry stole and now I have a greater understanding of why.


Lastly, having recently sung the hymn "It is Well With My Soul" in worship has caused the words to spin round and round in my head.  Horatio Spafford wrote these words as a response to personal tragedy. He found peace through horrific events and made life changing decisions because of these experiences. Consequently I will keep meditating on these varied thoughts of peace. I wonder how it will impact my personal life?  I hope I can discover what gets in the way of finding peace and that when I have peaceful times God will use me...because this fruit of the Spirit can be contagious!


P.S....I suspect this pondering will also cause me to add to our peace and healing ministry stole collection.