The Protector of Peace
It's been a month - negate that, it's been a year, but we're not delving that deep today. While traveling to New York to assist the young professional settle in her new apartment, my Aunt Eloise, my mom's sister passed. She'd been ill for a number of years, but experienced a decline over the last four to six months. Our entire family was devastated and my heart ached from being away from my mom. The following weekend, I traveled to my home in Chicago for the home going celebration. After returning, I treated a tendinitis issue I've been managing for over a year, and began to feel sick (unrelated). As the week progressed, while still managing grief, I was diagnosed with covid. I spent the following two weeks at home feeling pretty lousy. As I reflected upon the severity of my experience, vaccinated and all, I maintained a posture of thanksgiving for what could have happened. To God be the Glory!
While at home, without the strength to do much of anything, I watched television. I'd not realized how much is in the environment about "energy." Decisions to not be around people, constructing life to avoid that which is not desired; curating those who do not question our actions. Essentially, folx suggest that the wrong energy disrupts one's peace. In the words of Lauryn Hill, "It could all be so simple, but you'd rather make it hard." I wish one could actually build a wall or place that yellow tape around your heart or your peace or your thoughts to keep and ward away that which does not come to heal, support and bless. Because even when we assume all the recommended steps: vaccination, washing hands, social distancing, sheltering in place, working remotely, wearing face coverings, as I've done for the last two years, particularly living with a senior, sometimes, unwanted trouble arrives at the doorstep of your person and enters unannounced and without invitation. Just like covid for me. Just like a grocery store in Buffalo. Just like a school in Uvalde. We can orchestrate what we can, but even our best efforts may be thwarted. Our peace may be disturbed, disrupted and destroyed as a result of the actions of others. And while we cannot stomach another hashtag moment of 'thoughts and prayers" without sufficient and equal accountability and action to the level of the destruction, I can operate in a dualistic manner of prayer and placing the brokenness and fear and disgust of this world in the hands of the ultimate protector of our peace are not we ourselves, the Master.
II Thessalonians 3:16 reads, "Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you." This scripture suggests that the Lord knew and understood that we would experience difficulty, but implores us to take Him along for the journey so that we will have what we need at all times and in every way. Interestingly enough, the scripture before this one instructs us how to deal with individuals who are not walking in Godliness. In other words, even when unwanted behavior is occurring, God is with us and we are also instructed a few verses earlier (v 13) to not be weary in well doing. I needed to have that in this passage; in fact the entire passage paints a narrative of some who are attempting to follow the faith while others are seemingly just along for the ride without the work - uninvited guests or people voted into positions to advance their own personal accolades and void of the logic and desires of the people they were elected to serve.
It's been a month but to be sure, each of us have the ability to invite the "Lord of peace himself," to give us peace at all times and in every way. We can mobilize beyond thoughts and prayers to co create policy that makes obtaining an AR15 as regimented as purchasing Sudafed, or a passport, or updating an address on a driver's license or testing for giftedness in the third grade or student loan forgiveness. None of these are easy and neither should purchasing an automated rifle. Lord, we need you! As the Lord tarries, may we be empowered take the steps that allow people to go about their ordinary lives without fear of the uninvited. If we can make a TikTok video go viral, what else are we capable of? May the protector of peace be with us as we boldly go where necessary to invest in that which incubates peace - beyond our person and our environment. Now that's the type of energy I can get with. How about you?