"Are you at peace?" He asked his friend. Then pausing for a moment as he thought
about his response, the man simply said, "No!"
He was startled. He always thought his friend to be happy.
"In all my wildest dreams I would never think of you to be so unsettled. There
is not a thing about you, your appearance, your attitude, or your lifestyle,
that would have me think otherwise," he told him.
"That, my friend, is the key to it all. To give the appearance of a man settled
and happy, yet be on fire inside, that is the key to my happiness in life," he
replied.
"But then, I suggest you are lying to the world around you," the man returned.
"Not at all. When you asked me if I was at peace, you were looking for me to say
that I was happy with who I was, where I am and the state of the world around
me."
"Yes, but you deny that."
"My friend, I thought you knew me well. The man you see is very much "at peace"
as you say in the roles that he has chosen, father, husband, and son. But the
spirit of the man, the energy that connects me to God, is very much alive,
active and aware that all that I have can change in an instant. I see the work
that needs to be done and the people who need to connect to God again and I
cannot be at peace," he said.
Then, pointing to the newspaper on the table, he continued.
"How can anyone consciously be removed from the pain and anguish in the world
around them and live fully and contently as a child of God?"
The man sat quietly thinking about all he heard.
His friend continued.
"I am at peace as long as I remain keenly aware of two things.
First, all I have, God gave me. In return for that, I must give back all I am,
in all ways I can. To me this means to live abundantly I must give abundantly.
Second, all of humanity suffers if one suffers.
So, I live within my means and love within His means.
I am at peace with knowing God, but restless in my desire to serve Him."
Often times the restlessness and anxiety we find in our lives are caused by
fear, driven by the need to "fit" in the world or live up to someone else's
expectations. The true resolve is to be at peace with who you are and turn that
restlessness into a desire to know God's will for you. That happens when you
finally give all your concerns over to Him, leaving them there without taking
them back again and again.
Be at peace in the world, at rest in His arms, and restless in your desire to
serve Him.
"Are you at peace?"
"I believe in you!" Bob Perks Bob@BobPerks.com
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
messages. HTML and plain text versions available.
The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.