Onward

          We’re spending the month packing the house and divesting ourselves of tangible memories. It’s a hard thing to do, when you sit down with pieces of the world that are tied to moments of importance and then let them go the way of the world. And the way of the world is twofold… one is these moments are our own, they belong to us before or without others, and they wouldn’t mean that much to anyone else… and, two is all things pass away. So, we are letting them go and seeking the peace that grows out of release rather than obtaining.

          The peace that pervades, like fertilizer, the soil of our souls comes from releasing rather than obtaining according to Jesus. He tells us to be generous with our forgiveness, our love, our care and our money. That peace so shocked the world around the earliest followers of Jesus, that their faith was irresistible. It was a peace that people, even those living within it, couldn’t explain easily. Paul would later say that it surpassed understanding. And like Paul, this extravagant assurance led some to give up everything, even their lives. This was because it was built on the presence of the Spirit within people.

          So, we’re packing and saying, “Thank you,” to old touchstones, markers of moments of joy and love and encouragement, because they have integrated themselves into us. They have made us who we are. So, it’s okay to let them go because what they represent will never leave us. Our peace isn’t nurtured by how much we can gather, but by what has given us the strength that provides life for others.