“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this
world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Summer
peace...
I tucked myself into the old swing where maple
trees shaded and cooled. In my hands I held my favorite book, probably a story
featuring a horse or dog. Or maybe my favorite novel, Christy. I read Catherine
Marshall's classic several times as a teenager.
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| Cincinnati at the Banks |
Where I grew up, an awesome porch sat on the
corner of the house. When the heat of the season pressed in on me (no air conditioning) I'd take my iced tea and book of the day and cozy into
the porch swing. The back and forth sway cooled my skin as I lost myself in the
story.
That was the peace of long ago summers.
I still enjoy porch sitting. Now we have a glider
instead of a swing. And I still like to read on the porch to escape the chaos
of life. When I sit in the quiet absorbed in a story, peace fills my soul.
In the book of John, Jesus speaks to his disciples,
those he considered his friends, about his end days. He assures them they will
have peace even though he is going to die. I'm not sure how I would have felt
if I'd been with him. I'm guessing each of the disciples needed time to
process and comprehend. They may have had a place to sit and think (their own
form of a swing.) They may have contemplated the parables Jesus told. As we
know, some of them didn't understand until Jesus had risen from the dead. Even
then, a few had to be convinced. But Jesus promised they'd find peace if they
trusted him.
As I seek calm in this chaotic world, I hang on to
the promise Jesus shared with the disciples, "...take heart! I have
overcome the world.”
Seek his peace.