I looked back at my posts to see when I last blogged. WOW!!!!! April!!!!! Really!!! My last blog was in April?!?! I remember the old saying, “Time flies when you’re having fun.” In all actuality, it seems like the older I get, the faster time flies by. Not that I’m not having fun because I’m having the TIME of my life. (I had to throw that in there…haha!) Nonetheless, time is going by rather quickly, and I don’t believe it is just because I’m having fun.
I turned 47 in May! It seemed like not too long ago I was only 39. I honestly feel like that was just a FEW years ago…..not 8 years ago! In no way am I complaining about my age…I have no problems getting older. I am just flabbergasted that time is indeed slipping away. I suppose this is why we should cherish every single moment we have with the ones we love.
When I first began this post, I was initially going to talk about “time” and what has been going on in my life. Well, it seems that God has been showing me something else to write about. PEACE!
I’m not referring to the “hippie” kind of peace most people like to think of when someone brings up the word peace. I am talking about a peace that surpasses ALL understanding.
Before I came to Christ, my life was extremely chaotic. Even during the “better” times of this chaotic life, I could never find peace. I read all of the books about finding my inner peace because I knew if I did, life would be very different for me. I was the queen of the Self-Help movement. I admit that I even went down the path of spiritual Enlightenment because I was so desperate to find PEACE.
When I met my husband, I noticed something so different about him. He had a certain peace and joy that I could not comprehend. As we dated, he shared all of these amazing things that Christ did for him, and he shared everything like he personally knew Him. In all my years growing up in the Catholic Church, I never experienced anything like he was describing. I’m not saying that Catholics have not experienced this…I am simply saying that I never did.
About a week into our dating relationship, I decided I wanted to give my life to Christ. Of course, I didn’t tell him that because I wanted it to be my own experience, and I didn’t want to make him feel like I was doing it just for him. I suppose I had my own selfish reasons. Well, the day I did give my life to Christ, I felt a peace and joy I had never experienced before. It was a peace that surpassed ALL understanding. It was a peace I wanted to give to everyone.
Unfortunately, this true peace is not something you can wrap up and give someone. Most often, it is not something people want to take freely. Sometimes, like myself, they are so wrapped up in political battles, religious battles, celebrity battles, etc. that they don’t want to relinquish the feeling that comes with those battles. Some are so addicted to drama and misery that they would feel empty if it weren’t there. I am guilty of that. Because of my addiction to drama and chaos, Jesus could have been staring me straight in the face (most likely He was at many points in my life) with the gift of peace, and I still would have refused it. That is exactly how so many people are. We can’t get so wrapped up (no pun intended) in the world that we ignore the true peace Christ can bring to our lives.
My husband and I recently watched the sequel to “Unbroken” (“Unbroken: Path to Redemption”). If you ever have any doubts about the peace that only Christ can give, then you should definitely watch this movie. Here’s just the synopsis of the two movies. You absolutely must watch the first one to truly understand the torment, Olympian, Louis Zamperini went through in order to completely grasp how miraculous his path to redemption really was.
UNBROKEN
“As a boy, Louis “Louie” Zamperini is always in trouble, but with the help of his older brother, he turns his life around and channels his energy into running, later qualifying for the 1936 Olympics. When World War II breaks out, Louie enlists in the military. After his plane crashes in the Pacific, he survives an incredible 47 days adrift in a raft, until his capture by the Japanese navy. Sent to a POW camp, Louie becomes the favorite target of a particularly cruel prison commander.”
UNBROKEN: PATH TO REDEMPTION
“Haunted by nightmares of his horrific experiences, World War II hero Louis Zamperini meets Cynthia Applewhite, a young woman who becomes his wife. Zamperini’s personal demons soon threaten to destroy his marriage — until he hears the stirring words of the Rev. Billy Graham in 1949. Embracing his newfound Christian faith, Louis starts to turn his life around by learning to forgive his former oppressors and spreading the message of peace and love.”
Peace is what many of us are lacking. If you can find that true peace, Facebook would be so much easier to peruse because it wouldn’t be overtaken with arguments and hate just because we may disagree on views. We can agree to disagree and still stand for what we believe in without spreading hate. We can forgive those who have wronged us without holding on to bitterness and resentment. The way I see it, if someone like Louis Zamperini can forgive his oppressors, well what is stopping me? Peace is where your life ACTUALLY begins. Choose peace! You will never regret it.
A Little Bit of This and A Little Bit of That 