Title
The Panicked Peace
Title
624

The Panicked Peace

I was enjoying a nice walk in the woods.  It was calm and peaceful.  That is until I was attacked!

I love to spend time enjoying the stillness of nature.  I like to walk out on the trail and simply enjoy the tranquility.  One of the best parts of a hike is when I come across wildlife.  My last trip out to the woods was very short, but it was a huge blessing.  As I was walking along a small pond I noticed a deer on the other side.  I cautiously made my way over to it.  It watched my approach with great concern.  Though it allowed me to come fairly close, it never was truly at peace with my presence.  Once I was close enough, I noticed that hidden in the bushes was a turkey.

The turkey was always heading the opposite direction that I was.  It was not happy that I was around and it endeavored to keep its distance.  I wondered why it didn’t just fly off until I realized that the turkey also had two little… um… birds… tiny gobblers…  a goblet and gobleret?  They were baby turkeys okay, I don’t know what they are officially called!  I wanted to try and get a better picture of them, so I began to sneak in a little closer.  I could tell that the closer I crept, the more concerned the mother became.  Eventually, I got close enough to get a picture.  It did not turn out as I hoped.

About the time I snapped the shot the turkey attacked me.  I, like the tough man that I am, stood my ground and didn’t even flinch.  Now, you can choose to believe that or not, but that is how I choose to remember it playing out.  What actually happened out there in the woods is between me and the turkey, and perhaps any other creatures that were within earshot of shrill childlike screams.

After I had been so rudely chased off by mother turkey I began to hear a new sound.  The sound was that of the goblet and gobleret.  They had not made a peep until they realized that mom had left them.  They immediately began crying out.  I could imagine they were screaming, “Mom, where did you go?”  The little things began to run around like crazy.  They were certainly no longer happy with their circumstances.  The mother turkey made sure I was removed far enough from her little ones before she returned to them.  Once she was back in their sight, the little goblet and gobleret were once again at peace.

So often we are pursuing peace.  We are fighting to gain peace in the midst of decisions, turmoil, and conflict.  We want peace in our work, or church, and in our home.  But it is so often elusive, escaping our every grasp.  It seems the harder we work to gain peace, the more difficult it is to obtain.

Perhaps we should all learn a lesson from a little goblet and goblert.  They did not find their peace in circumstances.  They did not find it in keeping a watchful eye on the dangers around them.  They were at peace when they were near to the only one who could provide that peace.

Peace is not a product of doing all the right things, and staying away from all the dangerous ones.  Peace comes to those that draw near to their Savior – the only one who can provide a true peace.  Those that walk close to Him will find themselves to be at peace.  Perhaps our goal today should not be to pursue peace but to pursue a closer fellowship with the Prince of Peace.

peace

I love to hike, I find that it helps me draw closer to the giver of peace.  What do you do that helps you place your focus on Him?  Let us know in the comments below, I am sure there are others out there that would love to hear some ideas on how to draw closer to the only provider of true peace.

Sure, you can send this article to anybody you want. And, if you’re REAL awesome, you’ll even tell them where it came from!

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