Peace

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you. ’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. John 14:24-28

Peace…  What a complicated and elusive word.  I have spent time in many countries and I find this principle to be universal:

Peace does not come from status, power, or wealth.

My first month in Kuwait was full of some amazing surprises.  One in particular came during my first Ramadan.  It was an eye opener to say the least.  I remember walking with a friend for what seemed to be hours.  We could not eat or drink in public and by all means wanted to show respect to those around us.  The temperature was a blistering 120 degrees Fahrenheit.  We had been walking in this heat for quite some time and were beyond thirsty.  We walked in to the mall and in the lower level we found a supermarket.  We purchased cans and bottles of water, cola, Redbull, and fruit Juices.  Shortly after we ducked into the men’s room and drank all of it.  After that we made our way to another part of town and walked more.  Eventually the sun set and the call to prayer sounded.  This meant that the fast was over.  We walked into a small café and were met by the men working there.  They were of no significant status, not wealthy, and were by many standards poor men.  They had set in front of them an enormous plate of rice and chicken with bread and mango juice.  They sat on the floor in a circle and all shared food from the same plate.  I remember my first reaction was concern that we were interrupting their meal and I nudged at my friend, saying that maybe we should come back after they have eaten.  Before we could even move toward the door one of the men stood up with a huge smile.  “Come, come, join.”  Not wanting to insult their hospitality we sat.  We spoke no Arabic except for simple words, they spoke no English except for come, come join.  We sat, ate, and laughed.  None of us knew quite what we were laughing about, but we were having a great time.  Afterward they brought tea and we drank.  They never even thought of charging us for our share of the food.  I offered two or three times and they only smiled and said, “no need”.  We stayed for a few hours.  We had shisha and more tea.  It was an amazing time.  These guys broke all the rules!  Here were a group of poor men sharing what food they had with a couple of nobodies.  There was nothing to gain for them in this act of generosity and yet they offered what they had and we were invited as an equal part of their experience. 

As I reflected back on the moment, I found myself thinking that this is how it should be.  Why these men gave out of their poverty and I worried so much about bargaining, to the penny, taxi fees brought me to the realization that I was in fear.  Mostly my fear lies in the fact that while there are generous people there are also greedy people.  Sadly my fear of being taken advantage of, often dictates my actions.  There is often no peace when it comes to finances and fear.  The financial peace, which often for many of us is more of a source of worry and fear, is not peace.  We can obtain monetary gain but then we are taxed with the burden of maintaining it.  What if and this is a big if… What if my finances were not my own?  What if what I have even though it was earned through work, at it’s base was only a blessing given to me by God?  What if I believed that when someone is seeking to exploit my finances they are not exploiting my finances?  This would be because the very source of my status is the owner of both the status and the finances.  No one can cheat me if I have nothing from which to be cheated.  If I adopt this mindset, I become merely a steward of the finances given to me.  That stewardship is governed by a merciful and loving God.  If I truly hold to this I understand that in the midst of His love for us He not only gave up power and status but His own life, then I am drawn to freedom and peace.  He will not be offended if I reflect His love and generosity with the gifts that He has given me.

Financial peace is not the only mirage of peace that exists.  I wear many hats as a man.  I am a therapist, a director, a writer, a speaker, a scuba diver, a traveler, and one of my favorite hats is that of fisherman.

Often times when the world proves too much to understand I retreat to the sea.  Many people think that the point of fishing is catching fish….lol  My friends it is so much more.  I have written of many fishing stories in my other blog, but I have never shared this one.

I mentioned that some days I retreat to the sea.  Fortunately the sea is within walking distance and I can go as the need presents itself.  There are times however, when I need a little more retreat.  One particular trip I took was specifically dedicated to silence and the sea.

It was a couple of years ago, life was confusing and hectic and I had reached a breaking point.  I booked a ticket to Muscat, Oman.  There is a beautiful hotel that stands on a cliff overlooking crystal clear water and an amazing series of reefs, rocks and caves.  This was my destination.  I arrived in Muscat with a suitcase and a speargun.  I was determined to have a weekend of complete silence and solitude.  I was not disappointed.

As soon as I reached the hotel, I changed gathered my gear and made my way down the wooden staircase to the water.  Within minutes I was in the water and swimming.  The first day I spent more than eight hours in the water.  I started out hunting intently for snapper and grouper and shortly after the intensity diminished.  As I swam I saw beautiful fish, rock structures and caves.  I photographed as much as I could and my drive to spear the fish of the decade transformed into awe and amazement.  It was a truly worshipful moment.  I found myself at ease and excited.  I began to thank God for His creation and as I explored more and more I was more thankful.  During that trip I spoke to no one except God. 

In an attempt to squelch my stress I came armed with frustration and impatience.  It was God’s gentle and loving hand that had other plans in store for me.  I was ready to shoot fish, God was ready to help me slow down and breathe, even if it was underwater.  I did spear fish, God even provided in that department as well.  The last night of the trip, I sat on the beach in between two cliffs grilling fish and watching the moon.  In my desperation to control the world around me as an attempt to establish control and a weakly constructed view of peace I found that I needed stillness.  Not necessarily of the body, but of the mind and the heart.  The Psalmist says it better, “be still and know that I am God” Psalm 46:10. 

See, I am finding that peace comes through letting go of my schemes and methods of self protection.  If I live in fear of losing then I will submit to my fear, but if I relinquish what I pretend to have then I have nothing to lose.  The best part is that I actually gain the peace that I am not alone.  What I have is not my own and to let go of what I don’t have is one of the greatest reliefs in the world.  If I believe that God truly owns it all, then I can not be offended that someone has taken what is mine.  They have taken what is God’s and amazingly he is merciful and generous.

I am reminded of one of my favorite productions of all time, Les Miserables.  Jean Valjean is a man that was imprisoned for stealing.  Upon his release he went to a church and again stole.  This time he stole from a priest.  He was caught shortly after, as he was escaping.  The inspector caught him with a bag full of stolen articles.  The priest, seeing what was happening, came to Jean Valjean. He opened the bag and said, “My son you forgot the most valuable silver”.  He placed the articles in Jean ValJean’s bag and stood between the inspector and Jean Valjean as a mediator.  I am even brought to tears remembering the scene.  Friends, we are so concerned that we might lose out on financial gain, status, and power that we forget to be the priests that we have been created to be.  For Jean Valjean this was a turning point and from that point forward experienced what it was like to be redeemed from the consequences of the law.  The priest did not only forgive Jean Valjean but he added the most valuable pieces that had been overlooked.  This is the God we serve.  This is the heart that fills us.  This is where peace finds it’s home, not as the world determines it.  It does not come from storing our treasures where moth and rust destroy, rather it is by giving it up in the hopes that others will find the peace and sustenance that we have been given so freely.  This is not how the world defines peace and as long as we lived in a world that is not restored this will always be the case.

I am not advocating irresponsibility with our lives, nor am I advocating communal living.  It is never about the actions, it is about the heart behind them.  How is your heart?  Are you stressed and weary of the demands placed in front of you?  Has your world been reduced to that of a miser keep count of every coin so that not even one is misplaced?  Simply put our treasure is where our heart resides.  Friends, the grass withers and the trees fade but the word of God is eternal.