All God wants of man is a peaceful heart.” ~ Meister Eckhart
Gee, that sounds easy enough. Just be peaceful. We don't have to be good, smart, giving, holy, or even willing to do the dishes without being reminded or asked.
I can do that. All I have to do chill.
The trouble is that if I think about this for a second I can just about hear and decent spiritual director spitting and sputtering in surprise I could be so off the mark. There just might be a little involved than what we see at first.
This peace is not just about being calm because calmness is really the result of the effort to seek the peace of Christ and not just existing in a place of calm. A peaceful heart is one what has engaged in a relentless search for the creator. When we reach the point in that search where we begin to understand what we can embrace in this life, we can simply relax and learn to trust in God, really trust in him. That means to we choose to trust and not just try to ignore the issues of life bubbling all around us. We are not to turn a so called blind eye toward troubles and concerns but keep them in full view and choose to be a peace.
Gee, that sounds easy enough. Just be peaceful. We don't have to be good, smart, giving, holy, or even willing to do the dishes without being reminded or asked.
I can do that. All I have to do chill.
The trouble is that if I think about this for a second I can just about hear and decent spiritual director spitting and sputtering in surprise I could be so off the mark. There just might be a little involved than what we see at first.
This peace is not just about being calm because calmness is really the result of the effort to seek the peace of Christ and not just existing in a place of calm. A peaceful heart is one what has engaged in a relentless search for the creator. When we reach the point in that search where we begin to understand what we can embrace in this life, we can simply relax and learn to trust in God, really trust in him. That means to we choose to trust and not just try to ignore the issues of life bubbling all around us. We are not to turn a so called blind eye toward troubles and concerns but keep them in full view and choose to be a peace.
This is not easy and it is not the first choice our egos would have us make because our nature to is to act, to control or to fix things that may beyond our ability to impact. I cannot make important decisions for my children. I can't will my mother to full health. I cannot fix my wife's work place woes. I can choose to let the will of God be expressed and to be open to what his will for might be in any given situation.
So why is God so insistent we have a peaceful heart? After all if he is all-powerful, why does he need us be a certain why? The answer is based in our basic freedom of choice, our gift of free will. Just like it is easier for us to ride a horse that is calm rather than one that is out of control, it is easier for God to influence our lives. More accurately, we have to elect to be willing to embrace his plan and to be willing requires us to be at peace with letting God be in charge.
Once we find peace, all other things become possible in him.
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