If We Have No Peace…
I have really been thinking a lot about achieving peace lately. Peace is always on my mind and in my heart, but lately, its had higher ranking than usual. Certainly the last few days, with the threats of nuclear warfare from the crazed leader of North Korea as well as the “over-the-top style” of Trump’s rhetoric, I see and hear tensions and fears from many. I’ve written before of my admiration of Mother Teresa as a servant, having lived a life of sacrifice to help lift others in our suffering world. Thinking about how far away peace seems now brings to mind her quote “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten we belong to each other.” That really resonates with me not leaving my thoughts quickly or often. It gets me to pondering what it is when we sense “belonging?” Well, we belong to our families, our circle of friends, and communities of folks drawn together by common interests or beliefs. We say we “belong” to a church or synagogue or a club or an association. There’s comfort there. Membership. Being allied to. Hmmm…ally? Kinship? So, how big does our “circle” extend? One can take “community” from one’s town, to county, to state, to region, to country, to continent, to world, etc. OK, when we’re considering to whom we “belong” or for whom we feel a “kinship,” how big does our circle get? I’m thinking, yeah, I feel a kinship to my family and friends, to my co-worshipers at my church, to colleagues, to fellow Rotarians, to the NC Tar Heel Basketball Nation, to my Alpha Phi sorority sisters, to the breast cancer sisterhood, to others who believe in spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ…oh, and I also feel like I belong to a huge group of people called Senior Citizens. You get where I am on this, right? But…God created mankind and I’m pretty sure He intends for us to be both human and kind…so are we really linked to all human beings no matter where they live or what they look like or what language they speak? Mother Teresa surely felt and acted upon her feelings of kinship. If there is nothing else that links us to others, isn’t it enough that every one of us belongs to the human race and lives because of the same Creator?...
Read MoreIf We Have No Peace
Mother Teresa was the supreme sacrificial giver, helper, lover. I think she was an excellent model of living a life full of Christ. She said, “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten we belong to each other.” In the days of political campaigning and ushering in our new president, I have been witnessing many people feeling unsure, questioning our country’s leadership, wondering if the foundational values of what makes us America…the United States of America are going to remain. Supporters as well as those who oppose, have uncertain feelings of anxiety and it makes me think of Mother Teresa’s quote about belonging to one another. Have we forgotten that? Admittedly, it is more than challenging to feel a kinship with someone who cowardly attacks unsuspecting innocent people, inflicting horrific injuries with some losing their lives. So, I can tell myself, “well nobody’s perfect so I can just let that one go.” Not really, though. Thinking that reminds me of my career with United Way. Our board, volunteers and small staff worked to strengthen our community and to help solve problems that our citizens experienced. When we had a big, serious issue to present itself, we convened a meeting and brought representatives of different sectors of the community together to work at the “community table” toward finding solutions. We knew that we couldn’t truly achieve a “community ” solution unless friend and foe were around that table to offer their particular perspectives. It’s very challenging but most often we were successful. And every time we were successful…or even when we weren’t successful but WE TRIED, we were building community. Community is a precious asset. And we were people of the same community. My point in the above paragraph is that we may not feel like we “belong” to someone of differing opinions, actions, faith,race, but, perhaps, we can remind ourselves that every living soul on this planet earth are all created by God. So, someone who blasts social media with their caustic thoughts, assuming and disrespecting other human beings, thinking they are the only person who feels passionate about their faith while slamming others of the very same faith…how do we say we belong to them? I don’t have an answer to that question. But could we possibly agree to act, speak, recognize, etc. as a community? Our world is a lot smaller now with technology, communication, fast travel, so we just might need to start thinking of our global community. Many have for some time now. We must take care of our planet. There are parts that are aging and if we can use our shared intellect and technology we might reverse some potential loss of where God has placed us. Why are we here? Peace to all! ...
Read MoreWhat's Your Passion?
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