Perfect peace

The attached picture appeared in the news, showing a young child sleeping peacefully through what must be amongst the noisiest occasions ever. A simple plastic trumpet, called a Vuvuzela (a phonetic name for its B-flat, Vu-Vu sound), which produces a noise similar to a cow giving birth and operates in the 130 decibel range. It is a profoundly noisy instrument, but when 60-90 thousand people blow them in the confines of a stadium it is so deafening that hearing damage is possible. Add to that the recent puncturing of a throat by an over-zealous player and you have a real health threat. All that said, the Vuvuzela is still the symbol of a wildly ecstatic football fan base. 

I am more intrigued by the peace a child can know in such tumultuous times. My youngest son is also capabe of sleeping through just about anything and will lie down to sleep wherever sleep takes him. Their's is an innocent peace, a God-given ability to switch off and dream whilst the world around them goes mad. It is a metaphor for their general innocence about life and the simplicity of their faith.

A war horse also has that kind of peace and can stand its ground in midst of bombs and guns and all kinds of mayhem, but theirs is an acquired or learnt peace. I think that is the greater peace and its the kind that Jesus left us with. It is a very unassuming thing, potentially interpreted as ignorance or blindness. However, it is neither, for it is borne out of experience (Romans 5) of His faithfulness and the grace that sustains us unti it breaks through the mists of tribulation to vindicate the patience that such struggles impose on us.

Some feel so guilty about that peace that they deny it for fear of seeming to be irresponsible or uncaring, but if we can just surrender to it we would find that it actually makes us more effective - for it clarifies our thinking, restrains our impulsiveness and guides our decision making. Most of all it enables us to hear and follow the still, small voice of God.

(c) Peter Eleazar @ www.4u2live.net