While the first 10 chapters of this book dealt with the masks and the hiding we do, the next four deal with being found. We talked about learning to receive God's love and grace. About how, like Dorothy in Oz, we already have what we need to achieve a happy life - but we have to believe it and we have to let go of trying to do things on our own. We talked about remaining in the shelter of God's loving care - about how words, songs, prayers become a part of us so, even when life is hectic and we don't have time for quiet meditation we have God's word within us to help us keep going.
The session went a little sideways as we started to discuss two of the topics the Junior High School Sunday School Class is talking about - Suicide and Bullying. With the death of a young teenage girl these topics have become quite central in the media and in the minds of many people right now. But what do these have to do with Letting the Peace of Christ rule within our hearts? With Letting the Word of Christ dwell richly within us? Actually, more than we realized.
While I have no credentials to back up my opinion, I believe the main cause of suicide is hopelessness. When I can't see any way that things will get better. When I have no control. When I don't feel worthwhile. When I have no hope, I want a way out. But Christ is our hope, our way, if not out, then through difficult times.. If we can truly learn to let the Peace of Christ rule in our hearts and let the word(s) of Christ dwell richly within us - we can do all things (Phillipians 4:13) even survive incredibly difficult, seemingly unendurable times.
Letting peace rule our hearts is not so easy. We like to be in control. We like to at least look like we are in control. When someone is pestering, demeaning or in any way hurting us, we lose that appearance. We look less in the eyes of those around us. We look for things we can DO to fix the problem. We desparately need to change things. We are not at peace. But if peace rules, is the final arbitor of who we see ourselves to be as well as how we act, then we have to be willing to give up the appearance of control. We have to give up looking at the situation through the world's eyes. We need to look to God, to Christ who strengthens us. We need to look to promises we find in the Bible. We need to remember that we are of great value to God. That Christ came so we could receive salvation. That God has promised to be with us even in our darkest hour. We need to rest in those promises and count on God, through Christ and the Holy Spirit, to help us through and give us strength to endure humiliation, pain, misery.
This sounds kinda trite coming from someone my age, in my comfortable, middle class life. But these are lessons we have heard from people suffering under many of the worst bullies in history. The Isaelites in Egypt were forced to work under unbearable conditions for generations - then followed a leader sent by their God to a new life in a new land. Paul, who was a bully (persecutor), stoning as many of those upstart Christians as he could, changed and became one of the persecuted. So he knew bullying from both sides. He talks about being accepted and being persecuted and being ok with both because his focus was on Christ. The Martyr's mirror tells story after story of anabaptists who managed to live their lives fully, following their beliefs through hardship and even to death, but finding the life they had in Christ worth the pain. There are stories of slaves who survived torture, persecution, even mutilation and still managed to stand tall, to come through somehow, looking for a better life. Jews and people who helped them were totally stripped of their human rights in Nazi Germany and yet held their faith and are still around today. Ghandi became a hero for helping the bullied lower castes of India while staying true to his beliefs. These were not all Christians, but they counted on their God to help them through situations way worse than any we endure.
Bullying always seems to be around. It seems a part of the human condition. There always seems to be someone out there that needs to prove something, to make make him /her/their self look more powerful by demeaning someone else. Yet the persecuted often triumph in the end.
Christ is our hope. The peace God gives us is supposed to rule in our hearts, to act as the final arbitor of what we think and do. On page 133 Ms. Freeman states "God offers his peace to act as my umpire, to release me from having to be the authority and keep it together. But I have to let peace be peaceful within me". Can we let peace rule? When all the voices around us say DO more, BE more, put on the masks so at least you LOOK like more, where is the peace? When we have to do the dishes, wash the clothes, mow the lawn/shovel the snow, transport kids, prepare the meals, work full or part time, volunteer, be a listening ear, help out at school and church and in the community and do it all with a smile, seemingly without effort - how do we find time to let the word of Christ dwell richly within us? I don't have a complete answer - but I think IF we can, it can feed us and strengthen us so we can face down our bullies, so we can find some hope in the bleakest situations, then we truly CAN do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
Let us install in ourselves and in our children the truth that we are of value, that God cares, and that we can make it through, not in our own strength, but through Christ who dwells in us. We don;t have to keep it all together - God already has it all together. We are not alone. When bullies strike, when everything is falling apart, when we lose everything - when life seems just too difficult to live, we can turn to God and know we are not alone, that there is hope, there is love, and there is a life worth living.
So hang in there. Take time when you can to make God's word a part of your life. Read, sing, listen, memorize. And when life gets crazy (or crazier!) draw on the words inside you. Draw on the strength God will give you. And keep on going. Receive God's love, God's word, God's peace, and remain in the shelter of God's loving arms.
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