More Thoughts on Peace

Our family attended the Episcopal Church when I was growing up. Every Sunday at the close of the service, the priest would pronounce a blessing. One of the common ones was:

"May the peace of God which surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

What a great way to conclude a worship service...

I can remember when I started understanding more of what was going on in the service (it took a long time). That blessing captivated me. I began thinking about every element.

God's peace goes beyond my understanding. Boy could I relate to that. I was standing there looking at my dad who had experienced a radical turnaround in his life. Many times he'd have tears running down his cheeks, undone by God's great love, (which sometimes embarrassed me as a teenager)... My mom was equally grateful, being the glue that held our family together. And I was just starting to get along with my sister which was a miracle in and of itself. We were slightly competitive and I wasn't very nice :)

"May the peace of God... guard your hearts and minds" It was amazing how true this was. When mom and dad are at peace, and when mom and dad love Jesus, it is amazing how much peace transfers to the kids. Finances were extremely tight, yet God's peace guarded our hearts and minds. We went through many hard times, yet mom and dad would invite Jesus to bring His peace. They would constantly love and serve others, inviting them into our home. What a powerful blessing of peace parents can give to their kids.

"in the knowledge and love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" Somehow it always came back to Jesus. It was about knowing Him and about His love.

A few years later my dad was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. We went through 30+ years of hard times (and good times) together. And through it all we experienced God's peace.

I stood with my family a few years ago at the end of a worship service, looking at my dad sitting in his wheelchair (smiling with tears), my mom standing next to him (happy), my beautiful sister (worshipping) and her family, along with my awesome wife and sons. The peace of God which surpasses all understanding had truly guarded our hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Thank you God for your peace!