By Claudia Schooler of Carlisle, Iowa USA
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.
We have a little apple tree in our yard. I should say we have the remnant of what was once a bigger apple tree. A few summers ago, under the weight of a bountiful crop of Jonathan apples, the main fork of the trunk cracked and toppled over. There were sighs and even tears. I love that tree. It was a busy time, so we didn’t attend to trimming out the fallen wood right away. A couple of weeks later I noticed that the leaves on the broken part of the tree were not withering. I looked closer at the trunk. The wood was broken and badly splintered but not all the way through. There was enough life-giving sap flowing to keep the leaves alive. I wondered if maybe, just maybe, the fruit could also stay alive and ripen for harvest. We left the toppled tree in the yard, and in late September joyfully picked buckets full of ripe, red apples, no ladder needed.
Many of our traditional ways of worshiping and “discipling” have toppled over. But if we pause, we notice that not all has been lost. The life-giving sap of the gospel flows in new and different ways. Who knows what is ahead? We DO know we can abide in Christ, being and ever becoming more fruitful disciples.
Prayer Phrase
“…we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).
Weeding the Garden
Inner transformation can take place among daily leisure and work. Try cultivating the spiritual discipline of grace and acceptance while weeding the garden. As you pull each weed, offer a short prayer. Tug. (God remove from my heart all prejudice and fear.) Tug again. (God, keep me from judging others.) As you remove the weeds, continue praying. (Plant in my heart the seeds of your love.) If you don’t have a garden, try this transforming prayer while engaging in repetitive tasks or work today (cleaning out a closet, washing dishes, cleaning the floors, mowing the lawn).
Today’s Prayer for Peace
Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.