Today in my walk through the woods with the doggies, I pondered a question posed to me, “How can there ever be peace”, in reference to the chaos which has beset my life as of late. Peace is of course a good thing, something that should be sought by everyone. I even had a wise pastor one time give the advise to “seek after peace” when trying to figure out how to handle difficult situations. So I’ve been thinking about that lately and it is a bit of a continuation of my previous revelation on faith and taking on life’s hard problems.
The answer lies in determining what exactly is peace… Some people’s lives have the appearance of peace, good jobs, nice looking families, nice homes and stable lives. I once had this, nice house in a beautiful subdivision near Denver. Looked great, but it was far from peaceful. A bully for a boss at work, rich neighbors fighting over everything imaginable, home owners association constantly harassing people. For about a year towards the end of that mess I couldn’t sleep… As I lay there in the dark, in my mind all I could see was the bleakness of a cubicle and a workstation, something that after 30 years had become more of a prison than an office. I would lie awake staring into the darkness, wondering if there really was going to be a Heaven, and if I was ever going to get to do any of the things I really wanted to do. 50 pounds overweight, suffering from chest pains and wondering if I was going to die in that cubicle. During the day in the cubicle it felt like I was going to die. Every time I sat down at the computer my heart rate would start to climb, I would start to sweat and finally I would run out of the room and walk around the little pond in the office complex, only to sit back down and repeat the scenario.
Obviously this is not a sustainable situation and I finally just turned in my resignation. We had a few side businesses that were sustaining us before I got that position and we decided to work harder on those to get by. Unfortunately, the crash of 2008 came along and the music stopped. The short story is, we wound up in the mountains, right where I wanted to be anyway 🙂
Now I don’t have the stability of the nice home and big job, but I sleep like a baby at night. In the daytime I see the magnificence of the beautiful Rocky Mountains, wildlife, and breath the fresh mountain air. But my life doesn’t have the appearance of peace. In doing God’s will for me I have stepped into chaos and conflict with some seriously low life people in my neighborhood. You can’t plant the Cross on a hill of demons and expect to find the peace that the world recognizes and pursues. Yet I look forward to every day and sleep like a baby at night.
So what is peace?
Philippians 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Peace is between a man and his God, knowing that you are on the path He has set forth for you. Knowing that He is there in the midst of the storm. Knowing that all He has to do is say to the storm “Peace be still.”, and the storm will have no choice but to obey. The answer to the question is that peace is from within, not from without.
Steve Krull is a prolific sports and nature photographer selling prints and stock images online as S.W. Krull Imaging at various sites and agencies. Click this link to view all the products and services offered by Steve Krull and S. W. Krull Imaging. Additional services include, wedding photography, portraiture and model portfolios, and event photography.
