Helen Tyte
Peace
A wealthy business man decided to upgrade the decor in his office, and advertised for artists to submit their ideas on how they would illustrate the presence of peace on a wall mural. He would pay a small fortune to the artist who came up with the chosen design.
Artists from across the world started sending in sketches. He received images of dogs in their beds, sprawling corn fields, flower meadows, tropical beaches, a rainbow in the sky, beautiful sunsets, kittens cuddled up next to mice, and even a design where the artist had photoshopped a cute sleeping baby into the petals of a tulip. All very peaceful, but none of them appealed to the rich man.
On the last day of the competition, two final pieces were emailed over to the office. The man’s assistant printed them out and presented the art to him. The first was a watercolour painting of a beautiful, calm, blue lake surrounded by vibrant green mountains, with a family in the foreground lounging on the shore enjoying a picnic. The second picture was completely different, and the assistant had almost not bothered showing her boss. It also showed a lake, but this one was a very different scene. The water had been churned up by strong winds, and a giant bank of slate grey clouds hung heavily in the sky. The craggy mountains around the water’s edge were being battered by the relentless rain.
The assistant waited for the man to throw the second picture onto the ‘discard’ pile, but was completely shocked when the businessman pronounced it the winner! She pressed her boss for an explanation on how such a stormy scene could possibly depict peace. He told her that it was easy to find peace in an already peaceful setting. Anybody could look at a beautiful sandy beach and imagine the peace there. He then pointed closely at the stormy painting. He asked his assistant to look carefully and showed her a tree on the edge of the lake. Underneath the tree was a mother fox, curled up with her cubs asleep next to her,warm and dry despite the weather.
The rich man explained: “I chose the second picture as showing true peace, because it is within the storms of life we find real peace tucked into the arms of God, knowing His presence will guard and protect us.”
I know that many of us struggle to find peace in our hectic lives. This week, I pray that we can all find peace within our personal storms, and that you may know God’s peace with you at all times.
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Finding peace in God’s arms is exactly the way I see it. When I first walked into church after many years of being away, it felt as if I had come home. I’ve always advocated ( justified) I don’t need a physical space which is why Fab Church works so well. When ‘the weather’s bad’ there’s definitely something very comforting about having a belief ( yes, personally I’m still only just starting this journey) that I’m not alone in this.
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You are right, Tim, we don't need a physical space to worship, but we do need each other.
The fact that we can have both inner peace and inner joy during the storms of life is incredible when you think about it. It is irrational, yet, it is what Jesus promised to those who put their trust in him.