Peace Enough

I'm convinced in my head that God is more than enough, that He truly supplies every need I have. But if you watch me live, you'll know that my heart is lagging behind.

Peace. Yes, I need peace. I want it on my own terms, so sometimes I can be heard griping that someone disturbed my peace. My peace, not His.

His peace is undisturbable. So, if my peace is disturbed, I must need to get back to His peace. Instead, I insist that peace come to me by my own plans, my own maneuvering, and sometimes, by responding without perfect love to those nearest to me.

My peace or His peace? There's no choice!

Creeds

"I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

"I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

"I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.

Amen

These words were a pivotal part in the worship meeting we attended today. These words are so meaningful, such food to my deepest soul. How wonderful to say, out loud, the core beliefs of our faith. I was nourishe, fed in this.

Also included were scripture reading by a member of the congregation, with parts read by others in the crowd for drama and emphasis.

There were many scripture readings, more than practically any church meeting I've ever experienced.

We were blessed!

Lenses...

I have a new camera and maybe a new hobby. As if I had time for a new hobby. But anyway, the new camera is very basic Digital SLR and I'm learning.
There are probably too many menu settings for me to get my lil ol brain around, but I'm trying. Too many buttons and too many options. I may someday understand all the numbers and code language used by the smart photographers.

Until then, I'm playing with the two lenses I have. Well, I'm playing with my favorite lens. It zooms out to kingdom come and it's amazing. I love to take a close-up shot of that distant snow-covered tree. Love to zoom in on an animal far out in the woods. I see things through the viewfinder that are more than I ever imagined were there. But they are all real things. The only difference is that I never noticed or saw them before.

Through this lens, the leaf looks more detailed, greener or browner. The squirrel's eye is intricately active. The twinkle of sunlight on the icy twig is diamond-like in its brilliance. The perspective of the icy branch against the nearby red barn is wonderful contrast. Seeing the lone duck far out in the water, hunting for food is its own wonder.

I'm wondering what lens I use to view life, the daily, normal life I lead.

Do I use a lens that makes everything look dark? Do I assume the worst attitudes and motives in others? Or do I use a lens that tells me people are God's precious creation in his image and to be treasured?

Does my life-lens tell me the worst thing will happen in life's situations? Or does my lens tell me there is hope, joy, and that nothing is impossible?

Do I use my life's zoom lens to focus on the special beauty in the lives of others? Or do I use it to ferret out the unpleasant and ugly spot that is hidden from view without my zooming in on it?

Is my default lens one that lets in light and joy? Or does my lens see shaded, gray, dreary days and future?

I can change lenses on my new camera to get a different perspective on the vista in front of me. I wonder if I can change the lense of my life?

Can I choose to think only about what is "true, honest, just, lovely, pure, virtuous and praiseworthy" allowing only these thoughts onto the disk of my life?

Does my lens need to be cleaned from the smudges of life? God's glory and goodness have made it possible to "escape the corruption in the world".

My new camera has a built-in system for cleaning the interior parts of the camera every time it's turned on. This removes dust that would obscure perfect images coming in from the lens.

Could I have an automatic system like that in my life, my mind? Hmmm...Can I renew my mind constantly so it only sees what it should see and thinks what it should think?

Perhaps if I poured enough of the "milk of the Word" into my mind, the lens would only see what God wants me to see, think what God wants me to think, and would react to life in ways that would be pleasing to God.

Your Word is a lamp to my feet...a light to my path...and to the path of my mind.

Amen.