Peace, the Word of the Weeks






The meaning of the word peace is quiet, tranquility; freedom from disturbance. The root word of peace implies to stop or press.

I’ve been spending a few weeks on the word peace. Last week I hurried to form my Word of the Week post and then stopped to say aloud, “It’s my word! I can take as long as I want pondering peace.”

I mentioned to my friend Tara how funny it was that I tried to rush peace. She said, “Yeah, that’s sort of missing the point isn’t it?”

Yes, it is! When I turn my Word of the Week card over (I don’t peak until it’s time to meditate on it), I am astounded how that word shows up all around me. I know I have turned up my awareness, but I also believe the Spirit unveils the word for me to have insight and application. This process is not to be rushed!

Out of curiosity, I looked up in the bible to see how many times peace is mentioned. 429 times. Love is only mentioned 310 times. Is this because God knows how prone we are to fear, the antonym of peace?

I am prone to fear.

Anxiousness grew while we sat in the doctor’s waiting room. My daughter, Hannah, almost eleven, rested her head on my lap, legs sprawled across the bench we sat on. Day three of a high fever, malaise, and a headache disturbed me enough to make an appointment with the pediatrician.

By the time we got into the exam room, the worries gained strength. A war was at work. The doctor we waited to see, not our regular pediatrician, entered the room. I wasted no time in firing my fears at her.

 “We had a son who died at the age of eleven from viral myocarditis. You probably think what’s going on with Hannah is just a virus, but I never think of a virus as just a virus,” I blurted.

“I hear you and I’m so sorry about your son. Let’s have a look at Hannah and try to bring it down a notch,” the pediatrician encouraged.

Her words stopped my reeling mind. I stood stunned, staring into her eyes. No one had ever told me to “bring it down a notch”. Lovingly, friends and family over the years affirmed my fears when my children grew ill by telling me it was natural and expected after losing a child. I remember telling a friend that I knew it was natural, but I also knew it wasn’t healthy. Fear trumped peace almost every time one of the kids became sick. When this doctor invited me into the reality of the moment, I knew the path of peace lay in front of me. It was time to step on it.

Gently she spoke to Hannah, asking questions, and carefully evaluating her symptoms. The treatment plan was lots of fluids and rest. I walked out of the building resting my trust and confidence in the prescription for both Hannah and me.

Many years later, I saw the same pediatrician with my son for an injury. As soon as she walked in the room, she asked if she had met us. I told her it had been a few years but that I had seen her with one of my daughters.

“I’ll never forget what you told me. You said something to me that no one had ever said. Something that made me stop and think differently about how I reacted when my kids got sick,” I began.

“Oh, I hope I wasn’t out of place,” she cringed.

“No. It was just what I needed. Your words directed my thinking in a healthier way,” I replied and explained what our conversation had been.

When our son, Kodey, died, the lens I saw life through had a layer of film on it. All difficult times with my children had the potential to go wrong, very wrong. When someone came along to say I had the ability to remove the film and allow the possibility of a good outcome, I realized the natural fear could be quieted. I did have the power to be healthier, at peace.

Peace like love is cultivated. Peace is an outcome of deliberate steps toward all that is good. Real, not what might happen. The horror of the past can be allowed to have power on the present.

Stopping my fear-thinking allows God’s power to create possibilities on His path of peace. I confess that fear does invade me as life naturally unfolds. But I do know how to rest my mind and heart to find God’s peace. Again, and again.



"I am leaving you with a gift--peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid. John 14:27

Comments

  1. TammyFebruary 7, 2019 at 9:05 AM

    Too funny, I had just read your blog as fast as I could and even smiled when you hurried to form your WOW post, but I immediately clicked comment, when I finished reading. But I stopped myself and pondered your words and my response. Lesson learned! Rushing definitely isn't peaceful. Lesson #2 and new self-talk......Bring. It. Down. A. Notch! "Fear may be natural, BUT not healthy." Amen! Preach, Sister! Sweet word picture of the path of peace and your stepping on it and walking out with the prescription to remove that layer of film and not allow the horror of the past to have power in the moment. Signed, Waiting patiently/peacefully for your memoir!!!

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