PART IV
THE ROAD TO PEACE
Eventually, the raging forces of the storm may propel us into its eye while the whirlwinds of life hurl around us. Sometimes this lull makes us think that the storm has passed, while in actuality, it has not. Without preparation, the raging storm still awaits us.
The one period in my life when I felt most connected to God and felt His eminent presence was during the time when everything in my life was in transition and chaos. During this stormy time, I turned to my heavenly Father for guidance and substance. I tried reaching out to others in the church community but felt more burdened than relieved. I remember one day walking through my house feeling sorry for myself, with my heart heavy and my soul crying out, “Why?” In the midst of all this pain, a sudden calm came over me and then I knew that from that moment on, it was God and me. From that precise moment, I started to live just one moment at a time and started really looking for the positive and good things in my life. Each morning when I got up, I would pray for the things that I wanted to happen that day and thanked my God for them. As I walked from one point to the other, I noticed that the sky was bluer, the grass was greener, and that people really responded once I opened my eyes and heart to them. I started taking joy in the smallest of miracles and one day, I just was not overwhelmed and depressed any more. My financial situation was not any better, my marriage was not repaired, my child still exhibited behavioral problems and physically I was still alone. I felt, however, that I was not alone. When the time came for decisions to be made, I made them more prayerfully and carefully. This was an accelerated period of growth for me.
I awoke each day anxious to start the new day, excited like a young child anxiously awaiting Santa to bring ever hoped for toys. I relinquished my life to God and waited on Him for the first time in my life. I saw little miracles on every day of my journey. I prayed for what I needed, believed that I would get it and it was done. It was just that simple. I stopped whining and complaining to my friends and when they asked me the status of my situation, I replied, “I’m truly blessed.” I felt God’s presence in everything that I did and wherever I went; that was such an overwhelming feeling and one that I thought I would carry with me for the rest of my life.
I worked hard to get to this point and I had to let go of some truths imposed upon me by my socializations, my peers and replaced those that came to me through my own personal discoveries. I was not through growing and life’s little lessons were not through with me yet. Each birthday brought its own unique challenges but having gone through such a spiritual void and re-emergence, I had a strong spiritual foundation. My challenge in later years became my lack of working on the spiritual foundation on a continuous basis, by becoming too relaxed when the storms abated.
BLESSINGS
Some people spend an inordinate part of their youth
bemoaning their misfortunes, not aware of what they
possess in mind, body and spirit.
They complain about all of the things they do not have
and things they cannot control. They see the world
through glasses of the “have-nots” and allow themselves
to feel the aches and pains of deprivation.
They wallow in the afterglow of these feelings and
wear them like badges of honor.
In the face of death and when the real pains of loss
are realized then it becomes clear that they overlooked
all of God’s greatest blessings shielded under the
guise of their challenges and the ability to meet
them triumphantly.
© Dr. Pearlie M. Jones
Hope and Forgiveness. Not working on building a strong spiritual foundation will leave you emotionally defenseless and vulnerable. During this “down time,” negative energies and negative people are more likely to enter your space. These negative energies are akin to a virus. Once they get in, they slowly eroded your spiritual center. While the love of God, knowledge of His power, and love are still there; these energies can and will cause a spiritual void. This void allows those angry, petty and hostile feelings to move in and once these negative feelings are in control, a complete change in attitude and thought patterns will occur. These changes often cause physical stresses that lead to many of the stress related diseases that invade our population today.
When negative energies move in, a complete spiritual re- awakening must take place. The first step in reclaiming this spiritual power is recognizing that there is always hope and that your heavenly Father is just a prayer away.
WHAT IS LIFE WITHOUT HOPE
In trying times like these, it is difficult to find something to hold on
to or believe that there is a tomorrow. For many of us there will
be a tomorrow, but the challenge is to find beauty in the world
that shows us strife and shows it as a guide that points our path to
the WAY. How terrible is it to wake each new day and in a sea of
despair, not mindful of the beauty that surrounds us and the
blessings that come with a new day? To live each day in this
bottomless pit is akin to living without hope and what is the beauty
in that?
Embrace each new day and awake to the promises of
God and give praises for the challenges that come along the
way, because there in the midst is HOPE.
© Dr. Pearlie M. Jones, 2004, Jacksonville, NC
Excerpt from “Peace in the Midst of the Storm, the Performance.”
Do you feel that the key to peace of mind is merely for the asking? In addition, do you struggle for years with the demons that keep you up at night? You pray and pray but those dark thoughts continue to cloud your mind and prevent you from living a life free of guilt, shame and pain.
Forgiveness is the key. Our own personal healing comes when we are willing to forgive others. Many people actually know what it takes to find inner peace but they are not willing to do what it takes to achieve it. Why hold on to the hurts and pains from the past when they are clearly chains that keep you bound in spiritual darkness? The act of forgiving is not so much for the other person, as it is for you.
If you answer yes to any of the following questions, it is time you spend a little time with yourself in learning how to let go and find forgiveness within yourself for your wrongs and misdeeds as well as things done to you by other people.
• Do you harbor guilt, gripes, or grudges from past situations?
• Are you plagued by thoughts like, If only I had? or I wish I didn’t
.• Are you afraid of rejection, disapproval or abandonment?
• When personal problems arise, do you sometimes think, oh, no, not again?
• Are you ashamed of things you’ve done?
• Do you wish you could apologize to someone you have wronged and be forgiven?
• Do you wish you could set the record straight and finally be vindicated?
• Does thinking about the way you once were (beautiful, carefree, popular, athletic, etc.) leave you dissatisfied with who you are today?
• Do you frequently feel disappointed by or bitter about, your relationships at work or life in general?
• Are you fearful of the future?
• Has life not lived up to your expectations?
I HAVE THE ANSWER
Because He feeds the birds, because He planted the trees;
because He clothed the grass of the field, our heavenly Father,
can provide for you and me. Because He directs the wind and tells
it the way to blow, and He even controls the weather, and reminds
it, its time to snow. Because He made the mighty rivers, and
carved out the pathways for the tiny stream, then through his
enduring power, He will help us to achieve our dreams.
Because He placed the beauty, of the rainbow in the sky,
and He alone, scooped out the valleys, made them narrow
or wide because He loves us so, He’d already made a way for you
and I. He formed the great mountains, He peaked them low or
high; He made the little birdies, and gave them wings to fly.
He created the vast Oceans; on them He placed the many waves;
Because of His grace, He reaches down, rescues and saves.
© Dr. Pearlie M. Jones, Dallas, Texas, 1998
It appears that many older people know how to take things in stride; to live life at its fullest, to weather the storms, yet exhibit an ultimate sense of peace and serenity despite incredible odds. The next chance you have, take the time to talk to a senior citizen who has found that peace that you seek. It is so comforting to hear about the challenges they faced in their youth and to see the power of their faith today. Spend time with your older relatives and really listen to them. They can be a strong source of encouragement to you on your spiritual journey. Remember now, not all seniors have found their inner peace. Stay away from negative and mean spirited people of all ages. Spirit led seniors know that the answer to life’s challenges rests with God.
THANKS FOR THE LESSONS, MOTHER
When I travel the roads you trod mother, my heart becomes heavy
and my eyes misty. I think of the love, safely and security you
provided me during the lean years when I know it must have been
hard for you. I now know and understand the true depths of the
despair you must have felt being poor, alone, uneducated and
female. Despite the pain you suffered, you were able to teach me
love of God, a strong sense of survival and compassion. Mother
thank you for teaching me how to have faith when everything
around me was falling apart.
© Dr. Pearlie M. Jones, Dallas, Texas, 1998