Peace in the midst of..

Peace is not the absence of struggle.
Quite the contrary, it's found in the midst of struggle.

For instance, any average Joe can feel peace when all is fine and dandy. When the dice rolls your way or when the pieces fit just right, it is easy to have peace.

The test is how you withstand the wind and rain and storm. B/c the truth of the matter is that "fine and dandy" defines an ideal we're not used to. Most of us know that reality paints its picture with neutral, even hurtful strokes.

I'm approaching thanksgiving this year with a new frame of mind. B/c you know, there are so many changes I'd like to make if I could. But you can't do anything about the cards you're dealt except roll with the punches.

I can control (to some degree) the change on the inside. And so in the midst of my crushed dreams and thwarted plans and endless bargaining with God and missed opportunities and road rage and emotional strains and negative outlooks and life's failures and all the storms that fly/flew my way in '08, I will continue to fight for peace. I will thank. I will appreciate the ground I stand on. The wind will not uproot me.

My family, church, health, home; I still have them (for now). Even these are subject to change, but I'm thankful I have them. B/c at the end of the day, my faith and my God is the common denominator in them all.

And b/c of that, I can say that I have peace in the midst of life.

By David Chung, Associate Pastor