peace
pēs/ noun
1. freedom from disturbance; quiet and tranquility.
So on a summer weekend trip to Disney, my mom and I found this amazing little niche on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom. All evening I saw people just passing it by. Maybe because it’s nothing too special or interesting. It’s just a little street corner with tables set up. I barely ever saw anyone sitting there. It was around 11 pm and people were shuffling down the main street in a bustle. Kids were crying of pure exhaustion, parents were frazzled and the smell of French fries and baked goods filled the air as my mom and I walked through the crowd down Main Street. When alas, we came upon my favorite street corner. It’s set back a bit and shaped like a rectangle. Almost as if someone cut out a little piece of where the building should be.
Overwhelmed by the hectic banter of the crowd, we decide to go sit down and wait for the sea of people to die down a little bit before we try and leave. And then it hit me. Amongst the chaos of the night here was this little street corner. Quiet, peaceful and so ordinary compared to all other attractions at Disney. Yet, it stuck out to me the most. As my mom and I sat there, I listened to the noise of chatter and footsteps emanating from the main street. It was faint, almost distant, we could finally hear ourselves think.
As I breathed in the damp, warm, summer air all I could think was “How in the world are we the only people sitting here? How is everyone just passing by without giving this corner a glance? They don’t know what they’re missing.” But then I realized we do this with so many things in life, especially God.
We often are so busy chasing what gives us temporary highs, we push aside what our souls need. Just like a busy tourist on the streets of Disney we trample from one sensory high to another. We don’t think we need that quiet street corner. But as I sat there, at that little table, in complete peace, that’s when I realized so many people in life go through their days without ever feeling that peace that I felt on that little street corner. It’s not that they never experience quiet, or relaxed days, what I mean is peace. Soul settled, heavy breathing, peace. When even in times of trouble and strife, you still have peace. The kind of peace that can only be given by God. The reason for that is, we think we can go through life just living off the roller coasters, and light parades of life; the thrilling events. But when the rides shut down, and the lights turn off, we are left standing there with this empty feeling in our chest. The excitement fades and we are in need of peace. We then stomp through the crowd on the way out and bypass the soul-quenching peace that the little street corner has to offer.
God is the little street corner in this story. He’s always there offering his peace to humanity. But the crowd shuffles by Him, saying “I don’t need that”. If they only knew… After the heat of the day and the excitement wears off, the peace God offers you is a refuge from the chaos of the day. He is there to pick you up, and dust you off, and fill you back up from the emotional and physical drain of everyday life. If only others knew that feeling I felt on that little street is something they could feel their whole lives if they just knew that the God of the universe wants to take away the burdens of everyday life and be their lifeline. In times of excruciating pain or extravagant happiness, He wants to be your quiet place. He wants to be your little street corner. I hope you know how much He cares through every high and every low of your life. No matter the hurt or the joy, He is always there.
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
Psalms 91:2
I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
