Peace I Give To You
Day 110 of Photo Inspirations — Safe Harbor
By tonight, we will have been travelling on the Atlantic Ocean 7 days. We were detoured from Halifax, Nova Scotia because of the low pressure system, but tomorrow we’ll be docking in the Azores, Portugal. It’s okay with most all of us, because Nova Scotia has 3 feet of snow and the Azores will be in the 70s. We welcome that climate. Then we’ll be heading on to Ireland. I’m really look forward to being there. My grandparents were Irish, so maybe you could say I’m heading toward my family “roots”. These are a few pics of my friends and I enjoying this beautiful ship. By no means is anyone complaining about being aboard this little city. The food, the entertainment, the activities, and the comfortable areas all over make for a beautiful and restful experience. We’ve had four time zone changes and will have others before getting to Denmark on May 2nd.
I’ve been talking a lot about staying in peace. I’ve loved water skiing — I could do some pretty awesome moves as a slalom water skier, but as I look out the windows of this ship, I see some pretty rough waters — white capping. I would have never attempted skiing on waters like these. But inside this ship — we don’t even notice the rough waters. It is stable. I’m sitting at the table in the dining room as I type this. I just finished my breakfast and the glasses and the dishes on the table weren’t moving a bit — even my coffee and orange juice aren’t moving inside the glasses and cups. It is a stable place of comfort and peace.
And, in the matters of life, as long as I fix my thoughts on my Prince of Peace, I’m stable and at peace. I know the world’s peace depends on calm seas, favorable circumstances, getting our way, things going as expected, with very few manageable challenges. That sounds all sweet and nice, but as soon as our “apple cart gets turned over”, the world’s peace tends to dissipate and we are left with anxiety and concern. But here’s the peace I know well — the peace Jesus gives. That peace helps me face circustances with a quiet confidence that guides me — not contingent on what’s going on around me, but what’s inside me — better yet, WHO’S inside me. Jesus said, “Peace, I give you — my peace I give you — not as the world gives I you! Let not your heart be troubled.” John 14:27