I walked outside yesterday in search of a misplaced mailbox key. As I opened the car door I heard someone call my name. My neighbor was sweeping her driveway
and wanted to talk for a moment.
As we talked she began to share the burden she had about the world of today and her concern for those in peril here at home and abroad. As she spoke I listened to this aged Christian, and devoted prayer warrior, tell me about how unsettled and anxious she was about the news and things she'd seen on TV.
As I shared with my friend yesterday, watching the news and the propaganda of Network TV is one of the best ways I know of to destroy peace in your life. It was quite evident that even though her heart was going out to those poor folks in Ukraine, and the constant, "Slump toward Gomorrah," of our country, these thoughts were defeating any peace that prayer and reading her Bible could bring. She shared her frustrations with our government, and as I already knew she and I agree on most of those opinions. The difference, as I explained to her is I am no longer willing to give up my peace in order to expose myself to that which I cannot change.
My days are spent lately in a never ending pursuit of peace, peace with God first and foremost, enjoying the peace of God, and then peace with my co-habitants of this planet.
A wise pastor once said to me in a time of anxiety, "You've got a monkey on your back and it's not your monkey to carry."
If we are not very alert and watchful, we can find ourselves weighted down with monkeys that don't belong to us, sacrificing the peace that God would love us to live in. I am not saying, "don't care," just don't let caring steal your joy.
As John Prine so wisely wrote;
Blow up your TV throw away your paper
Go to the country, build you a home
Plant a little garden, eat a lot of peaches
Try an find Jesus on your own
Mike
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