Change For the Better

Y'all know that I'm going through some changes. Changes do not necessarily mean bad times, just something different. We all go through changes. Sometimes we wish things would change, sometimes it seems like our life is stuck, stagnating. If there is anything that time teaches us it is that change happens. It may not happen when we want it, but it happens. The trick to adapting to change is to have peace. Peace of mind, peace in your spirit...peace.
I'm a child of the 60's. We introduced the word PEACE, along with the symbol and the gesture (In all fairness, the symbol was created was designed in 1958 by Gerald Holtom). Somewhere along the way, we've forgotten what the word means. Here's a refresher course from Merriam-Webster; PEACE
1 : a state of tranquility or quiet: as a : freedom from civil disturbance b : a state of security or order within a community provided for by law or custom
2 : freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions
3 : harmony in personal relations
4 a : a state or period of mutual concord between governments b : a pact or agreement to end hostilities between those who have been at war or in a state of enmity
5 -- used interjectionally to ask for silence or calm or as a greeting or farewell
- at peace : in a state of concord or tranquility

One of the subjects that Casey was allowed to choose from for his essay to TCU was to find a social solution to our worlds problems. We discussed this, and one thing that we talked about was parents teaching their children to love others more than themselves. We live in such a 'me' centered society, taught from a young age to take care of ourselves first and others with what is left over. Unfortunately, with this mentality, with this emotional selfish attitude, we find ourselves not wanting to part with the left over either. I'm not only talking about financial left overs...I'm talking about love, I'm talking about time out of our lives and I'm talking about anything we have that others need.
I've raised the kids with few 'hero's'... Nelson Mandella and Martin Luther King, Jr. are the only two that I can ever remember reading to them about, whose pictures I have up in my home. Men of peace. Men willing to give up themselves for the good of others. Men who chose to speak well of others, even though they had more right than most to speak ill of what was done to them and by whom. Still, they chose to walk in peace, they chose to live in a state of peace.
I don't know what any of you have gone through in your life, and I promise you that I don't mean to minimize your lives, your situations. Yet, I find it difficult to believe that many have suffered as Nelson Mandella, sacrificed as Martin Luther King, Jr., or above all, Christ Himself.
When all around them was unrest, they chose to walk...to live in peace.

The antonyms of peace are: conflict, contention, discord, dissidence, strife, trouble; tumult, turmoil, unrest, upheaval; fighting, warfare.
Do we do ourselves any favor by choosing to live in any of these? Do we do our children any favors by teaching them that this is the norm for their lives without an alternative? Do you see any of these in your life? Are any of the antonyms of peace the norm for your life?

Without any doubt, I am not an expert on anything but my own life. However, I encourage you with all of my heart, that if you find yourself without peace in your life, that you would re-evaluate what you are letting into your heart, your mind...and your spirit. There is peace, it's a choice, but it's definitely there, along with hope...trust...love, and of course, forgiveness. If you need someone to help you along the way, I am here for you.