Tag Archives: spiritual journeys

Finding Peace in the Storm

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Welcome to the second week of Advent… the candle of Peace. Following our theme this year, let me tell you another little story.

In a far, far away land, a wealthy king decided to decorate the hallways of his grand home by holding a contest. He offered a substantial award to the artist who could depict “peace” in a painting. Artists from far and wide got to work. They presented the king with various peaceful renditions: snow-covered fields, baskets of flowers and fruits, children playing, and musical orchestras, but the king settled on two paintings of the kingdom’s nearby mountains.

The first was a painting of the valley’s lake in summer. The lush green mountainside towered over the still, clear water, the mountains reflected back at the beaming sun, disturbed only by the dusting of clouds in the clear blue sky. Wildflowers dotted the mountains. Many of the townspeople thought this was obviously the winner of the contest, for the painting surely exemplified “peace”.

The king mulled it over, appreciating its beauty, but passed it over for the final piece. The second painting was also one of the surrounding mountains and valley lake. Yet, this painting was dark and stormy. The mountains were in the shadows, lit only by a giant lightning bolt. The lake was swirled in a tempest of turbulent waves and whitecaps. No flowers dotted the countryside, only deep forests of fir trees. “This masterpiece will hang in my halls, as it depicts the truest “peace”” declared the king, “Do you see it? Tucked in here, beside the tallest fir tree in the shadows? A simple nest where momma bird sits quietly on her clutch of eggs, protected from the raging storm.”

True peace is when we can find calm despite the noise from the outside world. God-given peace of mind is not affected by the state of one’s surroundings, it comes from our hearts. Sometimes that means changing our perspectives. It was easy to see peace in the first painting of the summer sun. But the king had to look deep into the storm to find the nest. The bird knew she could not change the rain, but she could wait it out. The Holy Spirit helps us see the things we can change and the things we cannot change. He helps us look deep within and find what we need to carry on.

Another thoughtful muse by an unknown author (again adapted by me for you!) to remind us this week, that there are no promises that life will be endless summer days filled with wildflowers. There will be times when God will allow the tempests to rage deep into the shadows of our lives. True peace comes when we tuck ourselves in, knowing that God’s presence will guard and protect us — even in the middle of the storm. Only then are we truly able to shield others from similar storms.

And so, my beloveds, as we walk through this second week of Advent, remember that storms will come!

26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

John 14:26,27

The Advent Candle of Hope

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Once upon a time, a small table stood in the corner of an old church. Upon it sat four candles. Their lights were dim and barely glowing. The shadows cast were gloomy and silent, and you could scarcely hear the candles speak. The first candle whispered, “I am Peace. But these days are dark with war and no one wants to keep the Peace anymore.” The Peace candle slowly flickered out into a puff of silent smoke.

The second candle jiggled slightly at the sight of Peace’s flame extinguishing. “I am Faith. Very few have kept the Faith these days — and I am tired of fighting. I am no longer essential in today’s society.” The Faith candle had no more energy and flickered out.

As it watched the other two candles, the sad third candle spoke, barely audible in the now dimly lit corner. “I am Love, but I no longer have the strength to carry on. People put me aside and don’t understand my importance. They even forget to love those who are nearest to them.” Waiting no longer, the third candle of Love quickly extinguished completely.

Suddenly, a small child entered the church’s barely lit sanctuary and sees that three candles are no longer burning and begins to cry. “Why are you no longer aflame?! You are supposed to stay lit until the end!”

It is now, that the fourth candle speaks gently to the small child. “Don’t be afraid, for I am Hope, and while I still burn, we can re-light the other three candles, and encourage them to share their light!” With shining eyes and a tear-streaked face, the child took the Candle of Hope and lit the other three candles. A warm glow once again enkindled the old church sanctuary.

The moral of the story is: Never let the flame of Hope go out of your life, for no matter how bad things look, Faith, Peace and Love can continue to shine brightly if there is Hope.

I came across this little story (by an unknown author) and adapted it here for my post about our first week of Advent: The candle of HOPE. Romans 5 reminds us that even through our trials, hope brings about good. If our hope is in Christ, our futures are bright. He brings the joy of the season fresh and new. Sometimes called the prophecy candle, the first candle of Advent can remind us that not only did Jesus come to earth on the first Christmas night, but He is coming again soon!

Abstract Advent – Four Purple Candles

Biblical Hope waits and endures. It isn’t flimsy or merely wishful thinking. It can withstand fire, trials and despair. It can spark the flame of Love, Peace and Faith. Feel the warmth of Hope’s glow my beloveds! Until next week!

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A Day of Mourning

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Grief is personal. Death is universal. So far, no one has been able to escape death. During this week of mourning for Queen Elizabeth II, it has been interesting to see the reactions, of literally, the world. Those who chose to use her death as an opportunity to push political statements against the monarchy and authoritative rule. Those who are simply curious and want to be a part of history. A chance to say “I was there when”. And those who mourn her for who she is to them. A Queen. A picture of longevity. A symbol of something more. Then there are those who mourn her personally. Her staff. Her children. Her grandchildren. Can you imagine being one of the privileged few who served Her Majesty her morning breakfast? Who knew how she liked her tea and her favourite dessert? Or if she took her teeth out at night. I wanna talk to the guy who watched her skin a deer or throw her goloshes by the castle hearth to dry up after mucking out her horse. Did the Queen muck out her own stall? Who ‘stooped and scooped’ after the Royal corgis? Surely they have neat and tidy rose bushes in the royal gardens hiding poop baggie depository cans! Seriously, friends, these are the things I think about.

Photo Credit: Town & Country Magazine

Grief is personal. We can watch the long funeral procession and wait in long lines to pay our respects, but how many of us have sat at the bedside table and watched as a loved one’s chest slowly stopped moving. On both occasions, you count the hours. Or minutes. God has given us such a unique opportunity to feel emotions. Pain. Joy. Grief. I marvel at the chemical reactions that occur in our brains, our physical reactions, our change in temperature, and our inability to keep tears from flowing no matter how hard we try. Some of us crave the comfort of others, we need a steady hand to hold us up and assure us that there is solid ground. Others of us pull away. We need our space to process and “work it through”. Only then do we gather ourselves up and press on.

I watched the younger generation mourn their grandma. Oh, I am sure they have been trained well to accept flowers from the crowd, and nod and wave. To stand tall in fine black clothes and try to not show emotion. But grief is personal. What memories flash through their mind’s eye? Christmas morning with gran? Do they wonder if her broach will get handed down? Do they giggle about the time when she told them off for being silly? Does she carry around mints in that handbag of hers to shush the children during church services?

Members of the Royal family in the carriage procession at Trooping the Colour during Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee in The Mall, London, UK. 01/06/2022 Credit Photo (c)Karwai Tang

We are told, “there is a time to be born and a time to die”. No one tells you how you react to either of those events. Nor can we cannot predict the exact moment they will occur. Who will be there? Who will miss it? Grief is personal. If you feel you need support because you are grieving, I encourage you to seek out good counsel. It is wise and worth it. Time does heal. May we take this time to reflect on our unique ability as human beings to experience grief. I have seen many creatures die. Creatures do not have the same emotional attachment to death that we do. That has been breathed into us as unique masterpieces of a living God. Cherish it as a gift. Because grief is personal.