“Shalom is a peace that not only recalls all the pieces of one’s life but sees how the parts fit together in a unified and glorious whole. Shalom involves rest and gratitude; it provides a momentary balance and harmony where all things seem right. We know for moments of this peace, but it is not familiar to us.”
Later, he goes on to say, “Disruption of shalom is the soil God uses to grow us to become the people we are meant to be.”
Which he follows with, “All these stories disrupt our shalom and send us reeling into confusion and doubt. When the disruption compels us to search, we eventually find ourselves in a corner where we are forced to turn and stand face to face with God.”
This is where I am. In a corner. Sometimes I face the wall and feel powerless, other times I dare to turn around and, although Allender says stand, I don’t feel that strong most of the time. So instead of standing, generally I’m more lying in the fetal position, in a corner, curled up into myself, with my eyes squeezed shut. When I’m brave enough to open my eyes, I catch glimpses of God. It’s those glimpses of hope, glimpses of the future, that are helping me to learn to think beyond this life, this world I know. Slowly but surely I am learning to uncurl myself. Unfold my grip on my plan, my life, my career, my family. Learning to let go. Learning to stand and be the creature that God made me to be. The person, the human, made in His image. A bearer of His mark. A believer of Shalom.
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