GIVING THE GIFT OF PEACE
There once was a wise man who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists submitted their renditions of what they believed depicted peace. The man looked at all the pictures, but there were only two that he liked and he had to choose between them.
One picture was of a calm lake with a perfect mirror for peaceful towering mountains surround it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds and all who saw this picture thought that it was the perfect picture of peace.
The other picture had mountains too, but they were rugged and bare. Above the mountains was an angry sky, from which rain fell and lightning lit the the darken background. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall and this picture did not look peaceful at all.
When the wise man looked closely, he notice behind the waterfall, a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In this bush a mother bird had built her nest and there, in the midst of the rush of angry waters, she sat on her eggs in perfect peace.
When the wise man chose the second picture, those who were present were indeed confused, for they had not seen peace in the stormy setting. Perplexed, they asked why?
"Because," explained the man, "peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace."
There is no guarantee that life will be easy for anyone, for this is a troubled world with discord and disaster everywhere. It sometimes feels as though mankind itself may be hanging in the balance.
We grow and learn more rapidly by facing and overcoming challenges. You are here to prove yourself, to develop, and to overcome the opposition that you are given. There will be constant challenges that cause you to think, to make proper judgments, and to act righteously. You will grow from them, however, there are some challenges you never need to come across. They are those experiences associated with serious consequences. As you continue to avoid such mistakes, your life will be simpler and happier.
'The heavens shall shake, and also the earth; and great tribulations shall be among the children of men, but my people will I preserve.' Moses 7:61
Take great comfort in the promise of peace and create its powerful influence.
Linda Sumner Urza, written for: onefineday11.blogspot.com
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