One of the most agonising problems within our human experience is that few, if any, of us live to see our fondest hopes fulfilled. The hopes of our childhood and the promises of our mature years are unfinished symphonies. In a famous painting, George Frederic Watts portrays Hope as a tranquil figure who, seated atop our planet, her head sadly bowed, plucks a single unbroken harpstring. Is there any one of us who has not faced the agony of blasted hopes and shattered dreams? - Shattered Dreams by Martin Luther King
We are fickle in this fleeting world of change.
At times in our lives, the tail winds of joy, triumph, and fulfillment favour us, and at times the head winds of disappointment, sorrow, and tragedy beat against us.
I often wonder without an unfailing faith, that is an inner spiritual engine which sustains many Christians in spite of the winds, how can one navigate the mishaps and misfortunes of this world?
The expression that people make ‘peace’ with their circumstances - be it adversity or calamity - is somewhat misleading. Does it mean to live with frustration tinted with bitter resentment? A fatalistic acceptance of the will and whims of this imperfect universe? A libertarian and materialistic mind to do what one pleases in pursuit of happiness that provides temporary relief in taking one's mind off root causes but could never meet our insatiable wishes?
Martin Luther once said that ‘peace’ as the world commonly understands it, comes when the summer sky is clear and the sun shines in scintillating beauty, when the pocketbook is full, when the mind and body are free of ache and pain. But this is not true peace.
The peace of which Apostle Paul instilled and spoke of is a calmness of soul amid terrors of trouble, inner tranquility amid the howl and rage of outer storm, the serene quiet at the center of a hurricane amid the howling winds. We readily understand the meaning of peace when everything is going right and when one is “up and in,” but we are baffled when Paul spoke of that true peace which comes when a man is “down and out,” when burdens lie heavy upon his shoulders, when pain throbs in his body, when he is confined by the stone walls of a prison cell, and when disappointment is daily reality. True peace is calm amidst storm and tranquility amidst disaster.
When Jesus said to his disciplines that "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you" (John 14:27), peace or shalom, is not simply the state of not being at war with oneself. Rather, it is the state of being right with God, the creator, and His world, the creation. Shalom is what God's kingdom will be like. For Jesus to give it to his disciples is for them to have the deepest security as they dwell in the protection of God, even in the midst of trouble. Thus, Jesus said "do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." As a ruler who ruled by dying on the cross to set us free from sin, the extraordinary blessing by him is a promise of peace that we can know in our life despite all its troubles - ironically, without brute force, mighty strength or skilled swordsmanship that conquers all.
People often look at our Christian conviction and consider it a human folly. Yet, genuine faith imbues us with the conviction that beyond time is a divine Spirit and beyond life is Life External. However dismal may be the present circumstances, we know we are not alone, for God dwells with us in life’s most confining cells and defining moments as well as prepares us for beyond this life as Christ has conquered death.
So God's creative power is never constrained by this earthly life, nor is His majestic love locked within the limited walls of time and space as we know it. Our earthly life is a prelude to a new awakening, and death is an open door that leads us into life eternal. So the Christian faith makes it possible for us to accept that which cannot be changed, to meet disappointments and sorrow with an inner poise, and to absorb the pain of this world without abandoning our sense of hope.
For “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).
Whatever it may be.
Themed with a song: https://youtu.be/qv-SXz_exKE?
