Somewhere Between Peace and Pessimism

I seem to be straddling the fence these days, somewhere between peace and pessimism. Depending on the day or even the moment, I seem to flip-flop between these two places. It appears to boils down to this for me – staying focused on the Divine brings me peace; wandering away from the Divine leads me to pessimism.

I’m finding it takes focus and concentration to keep my eyes on the Divine. There are so many distractions, even though we have entered a season of life that has basically come to a grinding halt for many.

Wandering

When I was a little girl, I enjoyed wandering off from my mom when we were out shopping. I would walk away when she wasn’t paying attention and explore on my own. She once had to call security to have me located. My mischievous side began to think, “this, is a fun game!”

One day, I decided to wander off and hide under the clothing rack in a department store. Well, mom had had enough of this game, so she decided that she too would hide (all the while keeping an eye on me). When she didn’t call out or come looking for me, after probably 90 seconds, I panicked. I couldn’t find her anywhere and sure enough, the crying started. Losing sight of my mom, my protector, left me fearful. I must confess that I am finding some similarities in today’s circumstances when I lose sight of God and forget that He is my protector and my peace.

You might be wondering how the shopping story ended. Just so you know, mom didn’t leave me at the department store. It was the 70’s, but parents still kept an eye on us. She came quickly to comfort me and remind me that I needed to stay close and stop wandering away. Needless to say, I quickly curtailed my Lewis and Clark expeditions.

Yahweh Shalom

To wrap this up, as you probably have plenty to read these days – when I feel like I’m teetering on the fence and beginning to slip into pessimism, I am going to do my best to remember one thing, Yahweh Shalom, The Lord Is Peace, and rest in Him.

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:7 

Special thanks to Randy Meredith for his photo